How Soon After an Injury Should You Start Physical Therapy?

visual image of doctor working with patient in hospital

If you have experienced an injury, you’re probably well-versed in the pain, time, and patience that comes with the healing process. While injuries vary in severity, they all require a healthy combination of rest and rehabilitation. To regain the strength and mobility you had prior to your injury, the team at the Abbotsford clinic Get Well Physio can provide expert rehabilitation practices to have you feeling your best.

But when exactly should you seek out physical therapy for your injury? Well, this depends on the type of injury you’re suffering from and the severity of the trauma. Generally, most injuries, especially when induced by physical sports, require 72 hours of rest followed by several weeks or months of regular physical therapy.

With any injury, it’s best to start sooner rather than later. Seek out a physical therapist who can evaluate your case and provide a personalized treatment plan to restore mobility and strength. As injuries vary, it’s always best to seek professional advisement prior to starting any treatment plan. To maximize healing and receive expert advice on recovery, you should consult a physical therapist immediately following your injury. Here’s why:

1. Receive Professional Advice

As injuries vary in placement and severity, so do the treatment plans. It’s crucial to seek out professional help when recovering from an injury, no matter how minor it may seem. If it’s causing you pain or interfering with your day-to-day life, you should seek professional advisement. If you’re seeking physiotherapy in Abbotsford, Get Well Physio has a team of experts who can best treat your injury and alleviate pain from your life.

2. Avoid Chronic Issues

When your body experiences an injury, there will be an increased level of blood flow to the affected area. This promotes healing of the injured area; however, this swelling also causes pain, stiffness, and decreased muscle activation. With immediate and proper care at the suggestion of your physiotherapist from Get Well Physio, this initial swelling can be brought down and treated. If left untreated, you risk increased inflammation that will cause further pain, limit motion, and decrease muscle function.

3. Avoid Secondary Injuries

While your physiotherapist may prescribe a certain window of rest, this will be followed by a concrete plan to bring back function and mobility to the area. By simply resting the area without safely building back strength, other muscle groups will start to compensate for the injured area. This is called a “compensation mechanism” and could lead to further injury. For example, if you’re suffering from a knee injury, other areas of your leg such as your calf muscles, hamstrings, and quadriceps will take over. Since these muscles are not used to this level of strain, this added stress could hurt those muscles resulting in an injury.

4. Save Time

The longer you put off physical therapy, the longer it will take for your injury to fully heal. When you treat an injury in the early stages, your body can revert to functioning as it before. However, the longer you wait to seek professional help, the higher the risk of further damage to the area and secondary injuries elsewhere in the body.

5. Save Money

Ignoring your injury could lead to more expensive treatments down the road. By seeking immediate treatment, you can use muscle building exercises to prevent the need for costly treatments and surgeries.

What to Expect?

At Get Well Physio, your physical therapist will build a customized treatment plan to return your body back to normal. In the initial stages, you will work with your Abbotsford physiotherapist to:

  • Restore your range of motion
  • Reactivate weak muscles
  • Decrease inflammation

 

Once the initial healing is complete, you will work on building muscle strength and increasing endurance of the surrounding tissues. Finally, your physiotherapist will focus on returning your body to full and normal function. This will be done safely and gradually to avoid further injury.

As every injury is unique, your road to recovery will be too. At Get Well Physio, their team of highly trained professionals will personalize your rehabilitation plan and closely monitor your progress. Your recovery will be extensively evaluated to maximize results and promote proper healing. If you’re suffering from an injury and are seeking professional advisement, contact the Get Well Physio clinic in Abbotsford for tailor-made treatments.