Once an injury (disruption of unity) has occurred, what rate of remodeling can I expect? How long will it take to heal? When can I move again?
These are very common questions! What the fascial experts recommend is 6-12 months for full repair. Although has anyone tested and retested a holistic rehabilitation program? Please read on...
When we consider the WHOLE person, the correct answer is...it depends. It depends on four integrated essential life factors that apply to everyone. INDIVIDUAL 1) Nourishment 2) Rest/Recovery 3) Movement 4) Behavior.
Example: when the body is injured, the "clean-up" phase is a growth / repair stage and, therefore, requires wholesome nourishment. Hydration is especially critical, as water acts as a NATURAL anti-histamine. Additionally, healthy fats and proteins should be the emphasis of daily intake, in contrast to the dominant American sugar/caffeine-stimulant diet.
Rest / recovery - the area of injury may need local rest, but this shouldn't be confused with global rest. In other words, keeping the body moving is important for circulation purposes, but must be modified to the entire lifestyle. If the person is injured and doesn't get appropriate rest, the movement prescription needs to unite with the lack of rest, otherwise optimum recovery is not likely.
The behavior is a critical factor regarding injury. Does the client/patient understand their injury? Are they scared? How is the injury affecting their behavior? Do they seem at ease with the situation, tense, fear, or in panic mode? If there is increased anxiety or panic, behavior modifications must be made as ALL stress summates, the brain doesn't delineate.
Of course there is more to the four essentials, but anchoring to the four mentioned hopefully gives insight on how to strategize a plan to create a proper environment for healing. What research shows with regards to remodeling injury is that in each passing year, half the collagen fibrils are replaced in a healthy body. Therefore, your intention should be to create a healthy lifestyle so that your patient/client is on the path to a healthy body. We would be naive to think just manual therapy will do the trick!
