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I Thought I Would Be Feeling Better By Now!

ACL Knee Therapy

Whether you just sustained an ankle sprain on the soccer field, underwent a total joint replacement after years of putting it off or have been experiencing nagging back pain for the last 6 months; everyone with pain falls into a phase of tissue injury and healing.

All injured tissue will go through a response cycle known as the inflammatory response. In a nutshell when tissue is injured; the brain sends signals for the body to release certain chemicals to the site of injury. Free nerve endings are stimulated which is the pain we feel, thus muscle spasms occur as the body’s protection mechanism, thus more pain. This response has many other detailed phases and subsequently the tendency to be problematic to most tissue injury and repair.

Many times people have tissue injury and ignore it thinking it will get better and just go away. If tissue does not go through the proper inflammatory, repair, regeneration and maturation phases many people will end up with chronic pain. During this period of “denial” tissue gets tight, weak and joints can become unstable. PT will focus on the restoration of these losses and train you and your body on regaining your normal functional activities

Your duration of physical therapy will be in direct correlation to your specific tissue injury, phase of healing and/or repair that you are in and factors such as Diabetes, Age and Infection that may impede the healing process. Upon your first visit your PT will explain this to you and help you understand where you specifically fit into this big picture of healing and inflammation.

Your therapy will be based on your specific tissue injury, your lifestyle and goals. Your therapist will work with you over the course of time using some of the modalities (ice, exercise, hands on techniques) that were mentioned in last weeks article to encourage ultimate healing, restoration of flexibility, strength and functional movement in an efficient period of time.

About the Author - Rachel

Rachel began her journey into medicine right here in San Diego County back in 2001. She attended Point Loma Nazarene University where she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Athletic Training. She worked for several years as an ATC in Southern California at a premier outpatient orthopedic and sports medicine facility. She went on to complete her Doctorate of Physical Therapy from Loma Linda University in 2009. She continued into her professional career as a Physical Therapist/ Certified Athletic Trainer at Team Physical Therapy in Rancho Cucamonga, Ca. She began with ProActive Physical Therapy in 2011 and primarily works at our Vista clinic. Rachel has specialized training in manual techniques of the spine, gait analysis and proper orthotic wear. She is experienced with athletic taping, bracing and Kinesiotape. She uses functional movement screening to assess her patients and aggressively treats sport related injuries. Rachel enjoys teaching her patients how to manage their wellness, strength and incorporate a balanced lifestyle in order to remain active, pain free and healthy.