There are 4 stages of rehabilitation following an injury. During these stages, we will take a person through different exercises at varying degrees of difficulty.
Ever wonder what your body will go through during recovery and rehabilitation? This blog post will explain it more to you. You can also check out the research here.
The Stages of Rehabilitation
Rest and Recovery (Acute):
- In this stage, the main idea is to control pain and swelling (if there is any). Recovery does not usually last longer than a couple of days.
- I will usually add in passive or very slow active motion at this stage to reduce the amount of mobility loss.
Motion (Sub-acute):
- The Sub-acute phase can last up to 6 weeks, mainly because tissue healing is finished at that time. During this stage, ensuring full motion is the top priority.
- Also, depending on if the lower body is involved, full weight bearing is important.
- Strengthening can be added at lighter levels.
- Pain management is also part of this stage, however not as much as time goes on.
Strengthening (Late stage):
- This stage is as its name suggests: strengthening and building up muscle in all planes of movement. All planes of movement means front/back, lateral, and diagonal movements.
- During this stage, the injury is still remodeling allowing for the tissues to continue to strengthen as you strengthen your body.
Functional (Return to Sport stage):
- The functional stage is going to be different for everyone.
- Athletes need sport specific training, whereas non athletes need exercises for their typical everyday tasks. Check out my functional exercises post here for what a regular person needs to be able to do for everyday tasks.
- After a major injury, this stage can last up to 1 year, remembering the body is still healing and trying to get back to its pre-injury state.
In the 4 stages of rehabilitation following an injury, it is important to continue to work towards your goals. You should not be discouraged if some phases take longer. Believe in yourself and work hard.