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!