Tissue Healing

Breaking-down Tissue healing

 

One of the most common questions posed to our physiotherapists is how long will this take to heal/recover/get better. Research will provide an indicator of some weeks/months in many situations, with others requiring more long-term management.

 

It is not uncommon to want to respond to this question with “How long is a piece of string”.  So, let’s break down some of the complexities.

 

With many presenting conditions or injuries come a series of factors that have an impact on the overall recovery timeframe. Some of these include:

 

1. Acute injury management – how was the injury/condition initially managed during its early stages? Is it ice or heat that’s needed? Have you been using the affected area within the limits of discomfort? Do you push through the pain until you can’t handle it anymore? (please say no). Every stage of recovery is important – the sooner the appropriate steps are taken, the better the overall outcome can be.

 

2. How quickly did you seek the advice/management of a health professional? For what may appear as a simple ankle sprain can involve one ligament or 4-5; it may involve a small fracture and require a moonboot or light taping & swelling management. The sooner the injury or ailment can be thoroughly assessed, the faster appropriate management can begin. Did you know that there are many different stages of healing, each that vary with different tissues? Knowing what to do and when to do it are key components of successful injury management.

 

3. What lifestyle factors are delaying healing? Activity level, alcohol, smoking & diet can all have profound effects on the ‘expected’ healing timeframes for any individual. Did you know that the first benefits of smoking cessation can occur within 1 hour, and don’t stop for approximately 15 years? Anything that limits/restricts blood flow (smoking, alcohol, inactivity, poor diet) can all have a negative effect on how long the body takes to recover.

4. How likely are you to adhere to your exercises/advice?

Yes, there are reasons for all the exercises and advice provided by your healthcare professionals. Management of all presentations will vary over time, as the body adjusts, moves into different phases of healing and can do more. During even the earliest healing stages, movement awareness and muscle control training can be commenced. Once again, the earlier this is started, the better.

 

5. Speedbumps. They happen. It is rare for a recovery or presentation management to be linear. Changes in symptoms, extrinsic factors beyond our control and life in general continue to happen. Trying to manage day-to-day life with a sore ankle, shoulder etc… will often result in increased stress levels and lower sleep quality. These things can also impact recovery quality and timeframes. Keeping your physio apprised of these issues will ensure that management is modified to maximise your outcomes.

 

6. Plateaus: they happen. During the later stages of recovery these are seen with higher frequency. It is important to note that this is not the time to give up and think that this is as good as it gets. The last 20% may take 2-3 times longer to push through, but often is not given the chance to improve.

 

7. Underlying conditions & Medications. When seeing a physiotherapist, they will often ask an array of health-related questions that may not seem directly related to your current presentation. Many medications, autoimmune conditions, conditions of the blood, heart, connective tissues or hormones can have an impact on how long a tissue takes to heal. They may also explain components of a presentation that may fall outside of the expected signs & symptoms.

 

Healing is a complicated business, but it’s our business – whether it’s an issue of muscle, joint, ligament, tendon, cartilage or other. Have a chat with your physiotherapist for more information.