PROPER REHABILITATION OF INJURED SOFT TISSUES
It is important to understand that when rehabilitating injured soft tissues, certain steps should be followed to ensure the fastest possible recovery without re- injury.
1. Eliminate spasm and hyper contraction in the tissues (therapy)
2. Restore proper biomechanics
3. Restore flexibility to the tissues (stretching)
4. Rebuild the strength of the injured tissues (exercise)
5. Build endurance (conditioning exercises)
If rehabilitation is attempted without following this order, it is our experience that re- injury and setbacks usually occur. For example: if an injured person attempts weight training before the hyper contraction has been properly eliminated from the tissues, the result usually is that the tissues will re- spasm and the old pain patterns will recur.
The body breaks down its muscles during training or certain types of physical exertion. Once this process occurs the body works on rebuilding muscles and making them stronger and more effective. If a patient attempts to begin their rehabilitation at stage 4 or 5 before stages 1, 2 or 3, this break down and rebuild process does not happen efficiently.
If you have an acute injury:
R : Rest
I: Ice
C : Compression
E: Elevation
