If you are injured or in the early stages of recovery, do you think it is better to rest or to move?
It is a common belief that if you are injured or in the early stages of recovery to rest and stay still so you don’t do any further damage. However, there is lots of scientific research to support the stimulation of movement, especially in the early stages of healing, as a crucial part of recovery from injury and surgeries. For example:
🟩 In acute low back pain, returning to normal activity demonstrated much better response than total bed rest.
🟩 Early mobilisation following Achilles tendon rupture surgery led to better post-surgery outcomes.
🟩 Movement following whiplash incidents lead to faster recovery rather than use of a neck brace.
There is however a fine line between resting and over doing it. It is important to clarify the term ‘rest’ and provide education to our patients that is individualised to their condition and recovery timeframes. The earlier we provide these guidelines, the better the recovery outcomes will be.
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