The paths to recovery from an injury are made up of four different stages. The injury recovery processes must pass through these four stages for complete healing to occur. You can use physical therapy to support and quicken the injury recovery processes.
Injuries are widespread. Some even develop injuries to the soft tissue, especially if an injury takes longer to heal. Sports participants and athletes are vulnerable to physical injury. But sports special medicines help them recover easily, lead a balanced lifestyle, and enjoy their athletic life or sports.
There are medics in sports medicine who are experts in the treatment of injuries related to sports. Such experts use modern technology that allows them to identify the cause of an injury. They come up with an appropriate treatment plan after identifying the root cause. That way, after a short time, sports and athletic enthusiasts will return to the field of action.
Physical therapy is the other most reliable tool for treating serious physical/ tissue injuries. After suffering body wounds, it helps one to heal faster. Soft tissue injuries are diagnosed and treated by physical therapists. Besides, these experts know how to decide the healing process of each person. They also come up with methods to speed up the process of healing.
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Below are stages of paths to recovery as defined by physical therapists:
Paths To Recovery From Injuries: The Different Stages
The paths to recovery from injuries have different stages as follows:
Protection Phase/Acute Stage
Injuries to soft tissue are referred to as acute injuries. The initial stage is when the wound is still fresh and bleeding or even swelling. Your body is struggling at the moment to protect tissues from unnecessary damage. After 2-4 days, acute symptoms normally decrease. All this, however, depends on how a person handles his/her injury.
Treatment of injuries requires many approaches, including;
- Ultrasound
- Electrical stimulation
- Heat/Ice
- Kinesiotaping
The risks of developing inflammation are high after suffering an injury. You can suffer severe pain as well. In such a situation, gentle movement helps to increase mobility.
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Sub-Acute Phase
After your body repairs the damaged body tissues, soft tissue lesions are known as subacute. This step may be more than six weeks long. Your body will continue to develop new soft tissues at that point. In fact, because the existing scar tissue may begin to strengthen and mature, some bodies can heal on their own.
More physical exercises are required during this stage to strengthen the condition and reinforce the injured region.
Late Stage
The body commences the healing process after an injury. That may last about six weeks, but that doesn’t mean that the body stops the healing process at exactly six weeks automatically. So, healing is going to happen. The post-soft tissue injury appears to be ripe at six weeks, but when a person stretches or strains the scar tissue, it may break off. This is to suggest that it’s not healed altogether. Therefore, it can not withstand your aggregate physical demand.
Whenever your body discovers that the restored body tissues are still weak, it begins to form extra tissues to support the new tissue and reinforce it. The tissue is reinforced until it is in a position to resist normal activity and physical function.
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In fact, from 6 weeks to 3 months, the duration of the post-injury is called the remodelling period. The process of recovery is focused largely on development, then back to the stage of pre-injury. In addition, the use of modality is reduced and strengthening exercises also change.
Final stage/Remodelling/Ongoing repair
This is the final step, and from 3 to 12 months, the tissue is repaired. The scar tissues require several months to align correctly and develop tensile strength. This step aims to improve the new tissue’s consistency and intensity. There will, as a result, be no re-injury cases. At this point, counselling is based on sport and specific activities. This is intended to prepare for the conditions of the injured location. It is important to learn how to avoid re-injury.
For purpose of illustration, let’s look at how to successfully treat a calf pain.
Calf Muscle Pain
Two muscles are in the calf, which is the soleus and the gastrocnemius. Both muscles are adjacent to the Achilles tendon. The latter connects with the heel directly. The foot or leg motion thus utilizes the two muscles.
However, calf pain varies from one person to another. But sharp pain or dull, painful pain are the typical symptoms of calf muscle pain. At times, on the lower leg or back, one can feel tightness. Symptoms that suggest serious calf muscle pain are shown below:
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- Swelling
- The calf may turn pale, and a person might experience unusual coolness
- Leg weakness
- Fluid retention
- Calf tenderness, warmth, and redness, among others.
What Is The Best Calf Muscle Pain Treatment?
The treatment approach for calf muscle pain is based on the cause. Most of the causes of muscle pain can be solved at home. Tips on how to treat mild or moderate calf pain are given below:
Resting, icing, compressing and elevating the leg
Resting, icing, compressing and elevating the leg are the basic concepts of calf pain management. It helps minimize swelling by lifting the leg above the level of your heart.
Over-The-Counter Medications
For calf muscle pain management, there are many pain relievers used. Naproxen and ibuprofen are amongst them.
Stretching
Stretching is useful in that it helps to control pain in the calf. But this only applies when the pain slightly subsides. Only then can you stretch the muscles of the calf. Some exercises that help relieve pain in the calf muscle are:
- Calf raises
- Straight calf stretches
- Downward-facing dog
However, persons with extreme muscle pain are encouraged to do physical therapy through the assistance of a physical therapist.
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Why You Should Go For Physical Therapy After An Injury?
If you are referred by a doctor for physical therapy, then it is for a good reason. Some injuries require further treatment to fully recover. In order to speed up healing in the affected region even after surgery, a physical therapist may advise patients to continue treatment. Physical therapy helps ease discomfort, avoid future injuries, reduce the risk of re-injury, and restore mobility. It also decreases the risk of arthritis for arthritis-prone individuals.
Final Words
These four paths to recovery from injuries apply to every wound. Lifelong injury consequences can be caused by avoiding physical therapy. Owing to a lack of physical rehabilitation after suffering a serious injury, the health and body functioning of a person may be at risk. You can’t appreciate your favourite sport if you are a sports enthusiast. Injured patients should take their doctor’s advice seriously and, if appropriate, see a physical therapist.