INJURY STAGES - ACUTE , SUB ACUTE AND CHRONIC PAIN

At Steady Professional Massage Therapy I would always have to determine the injury’s stage because the treatment approach would differ. I would have to think if the injury falls into one of three stages: acute,sub-acute and chronic. Each phase has a wide range of recovery time and will have a big effect on your treatment plan. An injury can be still considered acute up to 48 to 72 hours post injury, after this time, it is considered as a sub acute injury. This usually starts between 3 and 7 days post injury. A sub acute injury is between the acute and chronic stages, and can last up to 2 to 3 weeks after the onset of trauma. The Chronic Phase can be up to 6 to 8 weeks after their onset, and they may last for several months.

I would counsel people not to receive a massage until at least 48 to 72 hours after an injury has taken place as massage treatment during that timeframe may have an adverse effect and increase the pain by increasing swelling in the area and will take longer for the injury to heal overall. It's always best to protect it, optimal loading, put some ice on it, compress it and elevate it to reduce blood flow to the area, reduce swelling, pain and start the healing process as soon as possible ( Protection, Optimal Loading, Ice, Compression and Elevation). Historically RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation) was the protocol for an acute injury. Recently, it has been shown that this approach is unsupported and could be detrimental to the healing process.
Current research is saying that ice can be beneficial in decreasing discomfort and pain, but it is essential to understand that the intention should not be about reducing inflammation. The inflammatory response following any tissue injury plays an important role in healing. Immediately after injury, the innate immune system is activated, setting in motion a local inflammatory response that includes the recruitment of inflammatory cells.
Inflammation serves the purpose of protecting the area and minimising movement to assist the healing process. Ice has been shown to for homeostasis which is delay the healing response, the inflammatory response is important as it initiates the release of kinins and cytokines which lead to an increase in fibrinogen and platelets
for homeostasis which is followed by the cleanup guys to come in and mop up the necrotic debris which leads to collagen and protein synthesis.
Rest may also delay the healing response. Movement not rest is the current thought for a better recovery. Movement directly stimulates tissue healing. Reference https://thischangedmypractice.com/move-an-injury-not-rice/

 

Chronic pain, the kind that lingers long after any injury has resolved. For example, bad knees, bad backs and long term problems like carpal tunnel, plantar fasciitis and bigger systemic conditions like fibromyalgia.

At Steady Professional Massage Therapy I treat a client within my scope of professional practice as there will be times when I will not have the expertise nor skills to treat every client, and may have to refer the client to another professional or medical professional who can identify the problem and help them with their recovery.