In Physical Therapy there are 2 main types of injuries: Acute and Chronic.
Types of Injuries
Chronic: These injuries usually happen over time and have lasted more than 3 months. Most commonly these occur because of overuse in the area. The pain transpires gradually and becomes more severe over time but does not start out that way.
Injuries include:
- Tendonitis
- Stress Fractures
- Osteoporosis
Acute: These injuries are immediate and occurring within less than 3 months of the incident. Acute injuries will have pain that is severe and when proper rehabbed it will not last long.
Injuries include:
- Fractures
- Sprains/strains
- Muscle tears
Recovery time is different depending on the type, but it is also dependent on the person and the type of injury as well.
For both injuries, it is important to find out what the injury is and how it happened. Then rehabilitation will include exercises to relieve pain, strengthen the area, and prevent future injuries.
It is important to understand, chronic injuries are the most preventable. Because proper training and exercise will decrease the chance of it happening. The key word there is PROPER!! Proper training also includes rest and cross training.
It has also been found in research that females athletes are more likely to sustain chronic injuries compared to male counterparts. Check out that research here.
Acute injuries are less preventable because they occur commonly due to trauma. It is hard to stop trauma. In my experience as a PT, it is easier to rehab acute injuries because we know for sure what happened.
Most injuries I will treat will be one of these 2 main types of injuries.