Muscles are one of the most important organs in the body and are called the organ of health, but despite that they are the most injured organ in the body for athletes, recovery happens in three stages: destruction, repair, and rebuilding. We'll get into the details now.
Stage one:
Destruction: This stage starts when a sports injury happens. The injury occurs when the muscle faces excessive force, tearing muscle fibers and small blood vessels. The muscle then blocks the area until the second stage, repair, begins.
Treatment method: Splints, crutches, and some simple patches are used to help you heal. You keep using these for 4 or 7 days to reduce the destruction phase. There are several strategies like rest and ice baths that help reduce the pain during this time.
Second phase:
Repair phase: During the repair phase, a cell called a macrophage cleans dead blood and damaged cells in the injured muscles. Then, satellite cells gather and build new muscle cells. This replaces the old muscle cells with new ones that are stronger than those destroyed. This phase takes about two weeks.
Treatment method: In this phase, the athlete moves from rest to some exercises, but must consult a doctor who decides the strength and type of exercise. Returning to exercise helps fill the gaps caused by the injury and destruction phase. It also helps grow new blood vessels. There's a type of exercise called isometrics that helps strengthen the new muscles.
Third phase:
Redesign: This phase can overlap with the repair stage. New fibers keep maturing and connective tissues do too. The tissues repair themselves and start gathering together like a pile of tree trunks.
In the final stage, manual therapy can help healing along with other treatments like Graston.
And ASTYM. These techniques help redirect muscles and reduce new injuries. At this time, your trainer will start following your new exercises more efficiently.
You should be under supervision during these stages of a specialist doctor or therapist, and if you feel unbearable pain or ache, consult them immediately. This is where your trainer really helps by guiding you through these stages.
