Exercises for injury, or rehabilitation, can be done on your own, or with a medical professional. Take care to progress through the exercises in a manner which avoids further injury. Begin with gentle range of motion and balance training, and move gradually through endurance and strengthening until you are able to function at your pre-injury level.
Significance
According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, exercise helps to restore functional levels of strength and range of motion after injury. The degree and amount of exercise depends on the severity of injury. Factors that may impact exercise are swelling and pain. Following a specific protocol designed by a medical professional may increase your results, allowing you to progress in a safe and effective manner.
Range of Motion
According to the University of Washington, range of motion is the amount of movement that each joint has. Injury may limit the available range of motion. Exercises to increase range include active and passive motion. Moving your body part through a range using your own muscles is active range. Having someone else move your body through a range is passive motion.
Strength And Endurance
Strength and endurance are necessary to carry out functional activities of daily living. Adequate strength is necessary to lift or carry certain objects, while endurance is required to maintain work over a period of time. An injury may create damage to the muscles, requiring strength and endurance exercises for a return to normal.
Flexibility
Muscle damage from injury may inhibit flexibility. This may be due to adhesions or scar tissue, or from a shortening of muscle due to immobilization. Flexibility exercises, or stretching, will allow for a return to normal of the soft tissue around the injured site. All stretches should be gentle and steady. Avoid bouncing to decrease the risk of further injury. Holding a stretch for 10 seconds or more will maximize its benefit.
Proprioception
Proprioception is the ability of your body to know where it is in space. Sustaining an injury will decrease the function of your joints' proprioceptors. Balance training will effectively increase function back to normal. This training may be performed in incremental steps, beginning with simple balance exercise, and increasing difficulty as tolerated.
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