500,000 Australians face work related injuries every year and that puts them out of work without pay. Here at Growth Gyms, we pride ourselves on insuring that you are strong, ready and prevent long term injuries.
How often do you go to the doctor or in some cases surgeons that recommend that you stop what you are doing and do nothing at all, just rest. A phrase that I have heard more than once "if you keep lifting weights and training, it is going to make your injury worse, so stop."
I am here to tell you that in most cases this is completely false, for some period yes you need to rest but going weeks to months of doing strictly no movement at all is going to put you back further and further. Let's make this simple and pull out what happens to our body when an injury occurs, this is a 3-phase process.
Phase 1- Initial Inflammation
After an injury, the body forms blood clots and triggers inflammation, Chemicals tighten blood vessels and create a clot. This causes redness, swelling, and warmth, from that our White blood cells and pain signals are sent to the injured area of our body.
Phase 2 – Rebuild & Repair
After injury, blood platelets release chemicals that attract cells to the injury site. These cells start rebuilding by producing the extracellular barrier and collagen for scar tissue. The time and success of this process depend on the injury's location and severity. For instance, healing an ankle tendon from a sprain can take three to six weeks, possibly less in well-blooded areas.
Phase 3 – Remodeling & Strength Training
The final phase may last weeks, months, or years. Muscles around the injury need strength training to stimulate growth and improve function. In healing an ankle tendon, the original fibrous tissue transforms into stronger scar tissue. Collagen fibers, initially disorganized, rearrange to better support muscle tension.
Without making this to complicated during phase one is when you rest you apply ice/heat, still doing low levels of movement, you will not just be laying on the couch for 6-12 weeks waiting for it to heal. Phase two is where it is essential to do small movements where you may be injured because when your scar tissue starts healing over if it is your joint and there is no movement there is nothing stopping the scar tissue to become rock solid over the joint, to prevent this is with massages and regular movement to produce blood flow and stretch out the scar tissue.
We are not saying just go straight back into normal lifting, you need to let your body heal but with light strength training and body weight movements to insure you do not get injured again an \d keep you out of work.
Here at Growth Gyms, we have specialized Personal Trainers in Rehabilitation to insure you can get back to work safely, stronger and prevent further injuries for the future.
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