Six Steps to Physical Rehabilitation

After an injury it is extremely important to know how to adjust your body back into it’s daily routines. These steps are meant as guidelines to assist in your recovery.


1) Natural Pain Relief: If you experience pain or swelling after exercise, apply ice to decrease the swelling. If you experience pain or stiffness before exercise, apply heat to the trouble area.

2) Stretch Within Your Limits: Overstretching can be just as troublesome as not stretching. When you do your stretches, it is crucial to stretch the muscles around the painful area. Because the muscles work together, if one stays tight, the other ones will also be pulled tight again. Talk to your doctor or health professional to create an individualized stretching routine.

3) Increase Endurance: Instead of concentrating on increasing your ability to do something with more intensity, try increasing the amount of repetitions. Building this kind of endurance is extremely important to those with back pain. If you push yourself too hard, you are more likely to become fatigued and do things the wrong way, which could cause you to reinjure the area you are trying to improve.

4) Find Balance: Regardless of where your pain is, balance is a key part of rehabilitation. Try lifting weights and doing a variety of stretches to build up your ability.

5) Strength-Train: As with stretching, doing too much too fast can cause you to reinjure the area you are trying to help. It is usually best to begin with isometric exercises, which will help improve your range of motion without pain. Once you can accomplish these exercises at all angles, try slowly progressing into light weights and elastic bands.

6) Functional Training: Practice the activities you did on a daily basis prior to the injury. It can be harmful to just jump back into what once you thought routine. Repeat these activities multiple times, taking it easier than you are used to.