When your body recovers from injury or surgery it has a specific process that it follows to achieve a satisfactory outcome. This takes time. How long depends on the extent of the injury. During this time, your actions can either help or hinder the process.
First Stage:
The first stage of injury usually includes bleeding and inflammation. This could be internal or at the skin surface. The body forms clots to stem the flow of blood. On the skin surface, these clots become hard and form scabs. The inflammation is caused by the body sending fluid to the area. This fluid contains the nutrients and specialist cells required to start the healing process. Ice is often used to reduce swelling (inflammation) but should be used sparingly so as not to impede this process. This stage usually takes a few days.
Try not to pick at scabs or soak them so they fall off. A scab is nature’s plaster and keeps out infection. If the scab falls off, healing will slow while it is re-formed.
The second stage:
This is when the repair and remodelling begins. During this phase, hands on therapy may be helpful. The length of time this stage takes depends on the location and severity of the injury. It is likely to be a number of weeks. Areas with a reduced blood flow often take longer to heal. This reduction could be due to location of the injury or the overall health of the client. Scar tissue will start to form during this stage. Gentle massage and stretching can help the body to heal in a more effective way.
Stage three:
This final stage involves remodelling and rehabilitation of the injured area. Scar tissue is great at plugging gaps and stopping us bleed to death, but it is invariably weaker and inferior to the tissue it has replaced. Scars on the skin are thinner and dry out easier. They have no sweat glands or hair follicles. Internal scars can cause layers of the body to stick together and will disrupt the usual gliding process of connective tissues. This all has to be taken into account when rehabilitating after an injury or surgery. Your body will not perform the same as it did before. However, bodies are amazing. They adapt to perform the tasks that you want them to. They may do it in a slightly different way, but they will still do it. The remodelling process will be lifelong. This is because your body is always adapting to the stresses and strains put upon it by your life actions. Rehabilitation after an injury or surgery should be slow and steady. A properly managed plan will enable you to return to full fitness without re-injury. Harnessing the body’s ability to adapt means that we can recover and carry on with our activities.
If you need any help or advice about caring for your scarring or about managing yourself back to fitness after an injury, please get in touch.