Hurt vs. HarmTissue Healing & Recovery

Presented by: [name]

Definitions

Soft tissue

Whiplash injuries

Sprains

Strains

Muscle spasms

Soft Tissues

Except bones and teeth

• All tissue of the body

• Muscles, tendons,

ligaments, skin, and fat

Whiplash Injuries

Injury to the cervical vertebrae

And

Adjacent soft tissues

Whiplash Injuries

What Causes Whiplash?

• Rapid acceleration & deceleration

• Flexion & extension of cervical spine

• One source - vehicle suddenly & forcibly

being struck from the rear

Sprains

The forcible wrenching or twisting of a

joint with partial rupture or other injury to

its’ ligaments without dislocation. It

occurs when ligaments are stressed

beyond their normal capacity.

Ankle Sprain

May Also Damage• Blood vessels

• Muscles

• Tendons

• Nerves

What Causes Sprains?

Trauma directly to the

joint causing the joint to

move into a position

which it was not designed

to move.

Results

• Joint and/or muscle pain

• Swelling

• Discoloration of skin ( bruising)

• Impaired joint function

Strains

• Overstretching a muscle

• Use more force than they are capable of handling

• Becoming inflamed, swollen, & painful

Muscle Spasms

• Sudden, involuntary contraction

• Very tight and often painful

• Often after a joint sprain

• Body is attempting to protect joint

• By immobilizing or splinting it in the form

of sustained muscle contraction

Tissue Healing & Recovery

1. Acute Stage

a) 0-1 months post injury

2. Sub-acute stage

b) 1-2 months post injury

3. Chronic Stage

c) 3+ months post injury

Acute Stage

(0-1 Months Post-injury)

First 7 Days

• Inflammatory process

• Swelling

• Varying degrees of pain

Treatment

• First day-icepacks

• Modalities

• Hot packs

• Infrared

• TENS

• Muscle relaxants

InactivityContinuing this inflammatory phase

by rest and avoidance of activity

can actually be counter productive.

Inflammatory Phase

• Excessive swelling

• Scar tissue formation

• Pain

• Decreased mobility

• Weakness

Inactivity

In fact, prolonged bed

rest, longer than 3 days

has not been shown to

reduce disability or

dysfunction.

Early Activity

• Increase blood flow

• Promotes healing

• Maintain muscle tone

Cardio

Flexibility

Strength

Days 7 - 21

• Regeneration of damaged tissues

• Promotes proper soft tissue healing

• Healing tissue needs specific stress or new

fibers may become useless scar tissue

Early Stages

Pain Discomfort

Does Not

Mean further injury

Protective Response

Often, when a particular

movement causes pain, it is

our immediate reaction to

avoid that movement.

Sub-acute Stage

1- 2 Months Post-injury

The goal of this phase is to fully

restore function to the injured

area and supporting structures.

GOAL

Passive Treatment

• TENS

• Ice packs

• Acupuncture

• Hot packs

Active Treatment

Specifically, restoring full range of

motion and improving muscular

strength are essential components

of this stage of recovery and can be

achieved through physical activity.

Restore

Improve

Range of Motion

Muscle Strength

Chronic Stage

3+ Months Post-injury

Chronic Stage

• Think of pain as injury or disease

• Assume it indicates bodily harm

• Makes sense when pain is acute

Persistent Pain

• Assuming that pain indicates bodily harm

• Does not apply long after injury has healed

Hurt Vs. Harm

SynonymousNot

Hurt Harm

Why Does Pain Persist?• No one knows for sure

• Injured area becomes “hypersensitive”

• Stress factors result in pain

• By producing muscular tightening

• And irritation of local nerve fibers

Normal Response to Pain

• Stop the activity that causes pain

• May cause temporary relief, but not for long.

Continued Lack of Activity

• Muscle shortening

• Muscle tightening

• Weakness

• Joint stiffness

• Poor posture

The Cycle Develops

Pain

Stop

Rest

Activity

Relief

The CycleWhen activity is resumed, pain often results. It is then likely that a person will return to a sedentary state to avoid more pain and a vicious cycle will develop.

Consequences

of

Inactivity

Prolonged Inactivity

• Loss of muscle size (atrophy)

• Loss of strength

• Flexibility

• Endurance

• Coordination

Physical Activity Is Needed

• Maintain muscle tone

• Joint mobility

Decreased Physical Activity

As a result of decreased physical activity,

people become “out of shape” or de-

conditioned. De-conditioning typically

occurs for 3 basic reasons.

1. Avoiding Activity

Avoiding activity because it is painful results in a vicious cycle. Unused muscles tend to weaken and shorten. This makes resuming activity even more difficult. As a result, people often avoid further activity, and so on.

Braces and canes weaken muscles in the long run because muscles are prevented from doing their job. If muscles in these areas remain unused for a long time, the body comes to depend on the support that these artificial devises provide.

2. Braces & Canes Overuse

3. Protective Responses Develop

Protective posturing and responses are often developed to avoid pain associated with use of the injured area. For example, limping to avoid leg pain will eventually lead to weakening due to under use, while muscles and joints on opposite side become over stressed. Imbalance and stress leads to more pain.

Protective Responses Develop

Proper Exercise

• Positive affect on

muscles/soft tissue

• Can reduce stiffness

• Increase strength

• Improve oxygen

delivery

• Increase endurance

• Decrease body fat

Did you know?

Lack of Physical Fitness

One of the primary causes of

injury.

Physical activity has been

shown to promote the release of

endorphins, one of the morphine

like substance that we have in

our bodies.

Essential

Physical Activity Conditioning

Good Health Recovery

Everyone should try to incorporate an exercise routine into their daily lives!