Have you recently rolled your ankle walking on uneven ground? Nagging knee injury just won’t go away? Maybe you have a sore back after a long day of work?
Have you found yourself asking “what can I do for my pain? This is killing me!”
If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, keep reading because I’m going to drop some serious knowledge on you today.
Hi guys, my name is Justin Vautour and I wanted to come on today and give you guys some very practical advice about injury management from an acute, subacute, and chronic perspective.
Injuries can be very difficult to navigate around, especially after it’s been days, weeks, months, or even YEARS after the injury happened. You’ve probably heard some acronyms such as RICE, PRICE, or PIER and you’ve probably used them before when you got hurt. I’ve got good news and bad news. Good news, these strategies work very well for injuries in the acute phase which usually lasts for 3 days from
the day of injury. Bad news is, they are less effective for the later stages of healing or more chronic injuries. But now, there’s a solution: The British Journal of Sports Medicine released an editorial on two new acronyms that patients and clinicians can use to guide them through the injury management process. They are simple guidelines, but they make navigating this process a lot easier.
So, without further ado, here are the acronyms you need to remember for a successful injury rehabilitation!
Immediately after injury occurs, we need to think about PEACE:
Protection
Take rest from loading or moving the injured area excessively for about three days. This is going to help minimize further damaging and aggravating the injury.
Elevation
Elevate the limb higher than the heart to promote the interstitial fluid occurring from inflammation to leave that area. This will ensure that hydrostatic pressure is decreased, providing some relief for any excessive swelling.
Avoid Anti-Inflammatory modalities
Yes, too much inflammation has been shown to cause pain, increased pressure in the joint(s), and restricts movement. Modalities for treating inflammation such as ice and over-the -counter medication (Advil, Aleve, etc.) are proven to be effective. These options are usually the go-to for a lot of people. But we don’t recommend using these or eliminating inflammation entirely. Believe it or not, inflammation is a natural and good response from the body to heal itself. Inhibiting inflammation from occurring will negatively affect the long-term healing benefits that inflammation provides. In short, these modalities may lead to impaired tissue repair and redundant collagen synthesis.
Compression
Using elastic bandages or taping can help limit tissue hemorrhaging and swelling. In turn, this can helpreduce swelling and improve quality of movement later in the recovery process.
Education
As the individual, it is important to educate yourself on the injury you have received to know what you need to do going forward. This could include which activities you can and can’t do during various stages of healing and other forms of therapeutic intervention that needs to take place. As the therapist (myself), it is my duty to provide those recommendations that will maximize your recovery outcome.
After the first few days have passed, we need to give the injury some LOVE:
Load
When symptoms have allowed you to do so, using adequate loads has been shown to benefit most patients with musculoskeletal dysfunctions. Appropriate loading of the joint and surrounding injured tissue without exacerbating pain symptoms helps to promote the remodeling of new and stronger collagen. In turn, this will reduce pain, strengthen injured tissue, and reduces the incidence of reoccurring injury.
Optimism
Turning the frown upside down can help with tissue healing! It’s been shown that people who have more optimistic expectations during injury recovery also have better outcomes and prognosis compared to people who are more negative thinking. This is why I always try to have an upbeat, positive energy every time I step foot on the gym floor. Because it really does matter!
Vascularization
Aerobic exercise may not be the most fun exercise for some people (it isn’t for me), but there is a place for it here! The great benefits of cardio have been proven for cardiovascular health. But increasing blood flow to damaged tissues can also help bring needed oxygen to those areas, which assists the bodies healing capabilities.
Exercise
There is so much strong literature to support that exercise is very beneficial to injury recovery. Irrefutable really. Not only does exercise help with all aspects of physical health, but it also helps injured tissue become stronger, flexible, and more force tolerant! That’s not even all there is to it for exercise. During exercise, the body releases endorphins that help dramatically improve your mood. And who doesn’t want to look good, feel good, and be stronger?
How can we help with this?
As Athletic Therapists, we are experts in the recognition and management in musculoskeletal injuries. We take individuals from the moment of injury all the way to the final reconditioning stages and returning to what they love most. Here is no exception. What you can expect working with me is a comprehensive assessment to pinpoint what you would need, clear out any doubts/misinformation, and get you informed on next steps. From there, I design a custom-made treatment plan that includes the adequate amount of exercise and manual therapy tailored to not just the injury, but you as the individual.
References:
Dubois, Blaise and Jean-Francois Esculier. Soft Tissue Injuries Simply Need PEACE & LOVE. April 26 2019. British Journal of Sports Medicine. https://blogs.bmj.com/bjsm/2019/04/26/soft-tissue-injuries-simply-need-peace-love/.
Exercise as Part of Injury Management and Prevention. June 27 2021. The Injury Clinic. https://www.theinjuryclinic.com.au/injury-management-and-prevention/.
Healthwise Staff. ACL Injury: Exercises to Do Before Treatment. June 26 2019. HealthLinkBC. https://www.healthlinkbc.ca/health-topics/ug2544.
