As soon as any emergency from an injury is over, one of the first concerns an athlete has is when he/she can resume their training. Sadly, there often isn’t a definite way to address this concern.
First of all, healing rates will slightly vary from person to person. Secondly, there are various healing times based on the specific tissue(s) involved in an injury and how extensive the tissue is damaged. The main underlying reason that healing varies is the amount of blood supply that the circulatory system provides to tissues. Blood delivers oxygen that will produce energy and heat. It also delivers certain nutrients that work to repair the damage inflicted upon the tissue.
When discussing healing times, it’s important to keep several things in mind. Most healing times, including the ones discussed later, are based on approximations. The sampled individuals in these “sport’s injury” studies are most always healthy, adequately rested, and in a good nutritional state. Those that are suffering from a chronic disease process, aren’t receiving adequate rest, or have poor nutrition are of course going to have much longer recovery times than typical sample groups used for statistical purposes.
Anytime surgery is involved, you should be prepared to experience a longer recovery time than what the orthopedist predicts. In most cases, sport- related recovery time approximations are based on what an Olympic or professional athlete has experienced. And, we all know that most athletes on the collegiate, high school, or otherwise level certainly don’t have the arsenal of physical therapists, acupuncturists, massage therapists, and so on that an Olympic or professional athlete will have at their disposal. Most people are going to be doing good just to squeeze their rehabilitation into the few spare minutes between getting off work and picking the kids up. So, its easy to see how everyday recovery is much different than that of a professional athlete.
Keeping the above considerations in mind, here are some approximations regarding tissue healing:
Muscles
Muscle injuries are often fast healing, mainly due to the fact that they are rich in blood vessels. Let’s take a pulled muscle as an example. A pulled muscle is a term used to describe stretching or tearing of the muscle tissue. The small blood vessels running throughout the muscle are often torn too, resulting in the black-and-blue bruising commonly seen on the skin atop the injured muscle. While this injury will often heal in around three weeks, the healing time can be extended if the muscle suffers another injury before it’s completely healed or if the tearing to muscle fibers is severe.
Bones
Like muscles, bones have a rich blood supply, meaning they too heal relatively fast. In fact, the red blood cells, most of the white blood cells, and the blood platelets are all produced in the bone marrow (fatty tissue inside bone cavities). So, a simple fracture, in a relatively healthy individual, generally heals within six to five weeks after the injury occurred.
Ligaments And Tendons
Unlike the muscles and bones, these thick fibrous tissues don’t have a direct blood supply. So, it shouldn’t be surprising that when ligaments and tendons are damaged, they will heal much slower than muscle and bone. Most often they will heal in six to eight weeks after the injury, but severely stretched or torn ligaments can take much longer to heal. In fact, severe injuries are likely to never completely heal unless intervention is sought.
Cartilage And Discs
While cartilage and discs are closely related to tendons and ligaments, Chinese medicine shows that discs and cartilage in the spine can take a significantly greater amount of time to heal. A more realistic approximation for healing is more like three to six months. Proper healing is much more likely if treatment is sought at the very beginning of the injury. In cases where there is substantial damage to the disc or cartilage or repeated damage to the area, healing may even be more difficult and even require surgical interventions. However, the use of Chinese sports medicine can help to speed post-surgery healing and expedite the recovery.
When discussing healing times, it’s important to keep several things in mind. Most healing times, including the ones discussed later, are based on approximations. The sampled individuals in these “sport’s injury” studies are most always healthy, adequately rested, and in a good nutritional state. Those that are suffering from a chronic disease process, aren’t receiving adequate rest, or have poor nutrition are of course going to have much longer recovery times than typical sample groups used for statistical purposes.
Anytime surgery is involved, you should be prepared to experience a longer recovery time than what the orthopedist predicts. In most cases, sport- related recovery time approximations are based on what an Olympic or professional athlete has experienced. And, we all know that most athletes on the collegiate, high school, or otherwise level certainly don’t have the arsenal of physical therapists, acupuncturists, massage therapists, and so on that an Olympic or professional athlete will have at their disposal. Most people are going to be doing good just to squeeze their rehabilitation into the few spare minutes between getting off work and picking the kids up. So, its easy to see how everyday recovery is much different than that of a professional athlete.
Keeping the above considerations in mind, here are some approximations regarding tissue healing:
Muscles
Muscle injuries are often fast healing, mainly due to the fact that they are rich in blood vessels. Let’s take a pulled muscle as an example. A pulled muscle is a term used to describe stretching or tearing of the muscle tissue. The small blood vessels running throughout the muscle are often torn too, resulting in the black-and-blue bruising commonly seen on the skin atop the injured muscle. While this injury will often heal in around three weeks, the healing time can be extended if the muscle suffers another injury before it’s completely healed or if the tearing to muscle fibers is severe.
Bones
Like muscles, bones have a rich blood supply, meaning they too heal relatively fast. In fact, the red blood cells, most of the white blood cells, and the blood platelets are all produced in the bone marrow (fatty tissue inside bone cavities). So, a simple fracture, in a relatively healthy individual, generally heals within six to five weeks after the injury occurred.
Ligaments And Tendons
Unlike the muscles and bones, these thick fibrous tissues don’t have a direct blood supply. So, it shouldn’t be surprising that when ligaments and tendons are damaged, they will heal much slower than muscle and bone. Most often they will heal in six to eight weeks after the injury, but severely stretched or torn ligaments can take much longer to heal. In fact, severe injuries are likely to never completely heal unless intervention is sought.
Cartilage And Discs
While cartilage and discs are closely related to tendons and ligaments, Chinese medicine shows that discs and cartilage in the spine can take a significantly greater amount of time to heal. A more realistic approximation for healing is more like three to six months. Proper healing is much more likely if treatment is sought at the very beginning of the injury. In cases where there is substantial damage to the disc or cartilage or repeated damage to the area, healing may even be more difficult and even require surgical interventions. However, the use of Chinese sports medicine can help to speed post-surgery healing and expedite the recovery.
