What is Muscular Rehabilitation?

Muscular rehabilitation refers to a treatment process used to facilitate healing and restore function after a physical injury or, to improve congenital anomalies. The process is geared towards the specifics of each individual’s case and can include, but is not limited to: specific exercises, manual therapies, gait training, facilitated stretching, emotional support, and ergonomic modifications.

Why Do Car Accidents Require Muscular Rehabilitation?

In an automobile accident, the body is subject to sudden and often substantial forces that can cause various injuries. Some of these injuries are severe and require immediate medical attention while others do not require emergent care but still cause considerable damage and pain. Muscular rehabilitation is critical in both circumstances to heal and restore function to damaged joints, tendons, ligaments, nerves, and regain quality of life.

Symptoms and Signs That May Benefit From Muscular Rehabilitation

Injuries that present with redness, bruising, swelling, loss of function, limited range of motion, or pain may all warrant muscular rehabilitative care. The affected area can be sore or stiff or be in pain when at rest. An important factor is whether or not you can use the area and with how much difficulty or pain. If the injured area is weak or if you cannot use it at all, there may be a partial or complete tear that requires surgery to fix. If you’re in question, seek out an assessment from a professional such as a Doctor of Chiropractic, Medical Doctor, Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, or Physical Therapist.

Causes

Damage to the musculoskeletal system can be caused by various forms of trauma. This can be the result of participating in activities that involve some risk (such as sports), or it can be the result of chance (as with an automobile accident). It is also possible to sustain an injury from overuse, inadequate recovery, repetitive motions, deconditioning, or any combination of the aforementioned categories. When a person maintains good health through conditioning, proper nutrition, adequate recovery, and ergonomic work environments, the chance and extent of injuries can be reduced. However, injuries still happen, if this occurs seek an assessment from a professional to get the right recovery plan for your particular case.

Complications

Complications can occur with musculoskeletal injuries. If you choose a clinic that specializes in muscular rehabilitation, they will be able to recognize these issues and know how to handle them should they arise. The professionals at Radius are trained to systematically evaluate injuries, the type of injury, the extent of damage, and catch any complications that require specific intervention. Below is a brief list of possibilities.

Deep Vein Thrombosis

Deep Vein Thrombosis is a blood clot inside a vein deep in one’s circulatory system. Often, these go away on their own. However, sometimes they require treatment to avoid more serious complications.

Acute Compartment Syndrome

There are certain pockets in the body where muscles live that are completely sealed by the fascia, or connective tissue, that connects them to the bone. If one of these muscles begins to bleed inside this compartment, that compartment may fill with blood. This causes pressure to build up which can result in damage to the tissue, along with significant pain.

Myositis Ossificans

This condition occurs when the body starts to develop bone tissue inside of soft tissue. This sometimes happens following a significant injury to the muscle.

Diagnosis

At Radius, our professionals are well-versed in musculoskeletal diagnosis and rehabilitation. In order to render an accurate diagnosis, your Radius provider will perform thorough testing such as evaluating your ranges of motion, performing specific orthopedic tests, strength assessments, and neurological evaluation. Your medical history and details of what lead to the injury are also taken into account. This process results in an accurate diagnosis from which your care plan can be generated and will also determine if your case calls for additional testing, imaging, or professional care.

What makes Muscular Rehabilitation Successful?

When body tissue is injured an inflammatory response is generated. Blood is rushed to the area to bring white blood cells, fresh oxygen, and nutrients. This is the acute phase of injury and is often responsible for the swelling, heat, and pain you can feel with certain injuries. The inflammatory response is a normal and important part of healing but it benefits from being regulated. Part of muscular rehabilitative care involves managing the inflammatory response and using it to the patient’s advantage.

In one sense an injury creates a catch-22. The area requires rest which means you’re not using it so the body sees fixing it as a lower priority. And because fixing it is a lower priority, you can’t use it very well. Muscular rehabilitation encourages reasonable use of the injured area without exacerbating the existing damage. Appropriate use of the area stimulates healing. The right professional, or clinic, will manage the recovery process and incrementally increase demand of the area until adequate function and strength are restored.

To be effective, the program must account for the patient’s particular injury and progress the patient appropriately as goals are achieved. The healthcare professional has a big hand in guiding the patient to recovery but it requires compliance and cooperation from the patient to achieve real success. The old adage goes “You can lead a horse to water…”

Muscular Rehabilitative Techniques

Radius has a number of different techniques for rehabilitating muscle tissue. These are a few of them. Again, the approach to healing is case-specific.

Massage

There are many kinds of massage, and the technique to use will depend on you. But quality massage loosens muscle and fascia and can encourage blood flow to an area.

Guided Stretching

When recovering from an injury, patients will not always know how far they can safely stretch. Even if they did, the pain they feel is enough reason not to try it. The right professional will know how to walk this balance between pain and progress. At Radius, our team knows how to find that balance.

Soft Tissue Mobilization

The goal of soft tissue mobilization is to reduce the effect of adhesion on your muscle’s mobility. When your muscle sustains an injury, it often creates scar tissue. Scar tissue aims to rebuild the area to be strong, not necessarily functional, thereby limiting mobility and causing pain. Soft tissue mobilization seeks to influence scar tissue and helps the healing tissue repair in a more functional manner. At Radius, our professionals accomplish this with manual manipulation of damaged tissue, which will reduce swelling and edema, increase range of motion, and decrease pain.

Muscle Energy Technique

This is an umbrella term that encompasses various techniques that use contracting and relaxing muscles to reduce tension and restore the appropriate resting length of a muscle. Instead of holding a sustained stretch, the professional alternates isometric contractions of a muscle with stretching the same muscle or contracting opposing muscle groups.

Depending on the injury and patient any combination of the aforementioned techniques (and others not listed) may be used to facilitate healing, reduce pain, and restore function.

Choose Radius Clinic for Muscular Rehabilitation in the Sacramento Valley

Radius operates two clinics in the Sacramento Valley which specialize in musculoskeletal rehabilitation. Muscular rehabilitation is a significant component of this work, and our professionals are well-trained in helping you recover and achieve the quality of life you are striving for. If you live in the counties of Nevada, Sacramento, Placer, or El Dorado, and you have an injury, call or stop by one of our two convenient locations in Grass Valley or Roseville. We would be happy to help you develop a plan for your rehabilitation, and explain how the program works. It’s a whole lot easier recovering from an injury when you have the right help; there’s less chance of a setback and a much greater chance of recovering 100% of function. Call us today, and let us help you with your recovery.

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Muscular Rehabilitation