Healing With Physical Therapy
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The body has an innate system of healing wounds/injuries, whether it be a cut/abrasion or broken bone. Most of the time, these wounds will heal in some way on their own, but the addition of physical therapy improve the end result of healing.
Healing with Physical Therapy
4 Stages of Healing
The healing of a skin would consist of 4 stages: Hemostasis, Inflammatory, Proliferation, Maturation. The duration of healing depends on the extent and shape of the wound. A small cut will go through these phases faster than a larger circular wound.
Hemostasis/Bleeding – This phase starts as soon as the injury occurs. The goal of hemostasis is to form a dam of blood cells and platelets at the site of the injury and stop the bleeding.
Inflammatory – During this phase, the goal is to bring in white blood cells to destroy and remove any foreign bacteria or debris from the wound. The body performs this through inflammation and can only be damaging if there is too much inflammation or it last too long.
Proliferation – This is the phase where visual healing begins. The body begins growing new tissue to fill the wound, bring in the edges of the wound, and cover the wound (scab).
Maturation/Remodeling – During this phase, the body replaces the ridged/temporary tissue with stronger, more flexible, and permanent tissue. Maturation has the most variable timeline of all the phases as it can last from three weeks to two years.
wound healing
Do Physical Therapists Assist in Wound Care?
The quick answer is that physical therapy can help in wound care by properly removing sutures/staples, as well as to properly bandage or cover wounds to help them heal appropriately. Physical therapists may be involved debridement of a wound or with whirlpools and other modalities.
Once a wound has healed, they can perform a technique called scar massage to help breakdown excess scar tissue.
JOI Offers Direct Access to Physical Therapy. To learn more about Direct Access watch our video below!
Bone Healing Time
The process of bone healing begins immediately. It typically take 6-8 months to heal completely but does vary on the extent of the damage and by the age of the patient.
Hematoma/Inflammation- Your body will send blood, containing platelets, nutrients, and white blood cells to form a clot in the area of the break and kill/take away bacteria and debris.
Soft Callus– Substances such as collagen and fibrous tissues replace to clot to stiffen the broken area of bone and make it more stable. This phase is not as strong as true bone, which is why most people would need to be in a brace or cast.
Bony Callus– Bone cells called Osteoblast utilize nutrients and minerals to build solid bone over the area of the break to replace the soft callus and make the bone a strong structure again.
Remodeling– This phase consists of a mix of osteoblast and osteoclast (breaks down bone cells) to remodel the break site to form a permanent and uniform bony area that resembles the original bone structure. This phase can last from months to several years.
Bone Healing
How Long Does it Take Physical Therapy to Work?
Although a physical therapist cannot speed up the time it takes for a bone to heal, they can help maintain strength and range of motion for the joints near the broken bone in order to help speed up the overall recovery. Learn more in this article about Hip Exercises That You Can Do at Home or Direct Access to JOI Rehab Physical Therapy.For physical therapy, please call 904-858-7045.
By: Alex Bigale, PTA
Jacksonville Orthopaedic Institute
Even with proper training and prevention care, injuries can still happen. The Jacksonville Orthopedic Institute is still here to help. JOI offers ASAP Fracture & Injury Services so that you can be evaluated quickly by one of our Orthopedic Surgeons. JOI Doctors and Therapists are experts in treating patients with various injuries. If you need us, we are here for you! To schedule an appointment, call 904-JOI-2000, schedule online, or click the link below.
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