Post-Injury Rehab refers to the exercise transition phase between having an injury and being 100% recovered. This is a vital part of the injury recovery process and one that is very often overlooked by both patients and providers. Without this phase, which is like a post-injury roadmap or action plan, it is not uncommon for injuries to reoccur soon after the 'official' rehab has ended.

 

​Does this sound familiar?

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Have you ever completed Physical Therapy without being entirely sure what comes next? Have you seemingly recovered from an injury but then ended up in pain and/or back at the doctor or in PT months later? If so, you’re definitely not alone. While Physical Therapy can be essential, too often patients aren’t sure what comes after they either graduate from or have had enough of PT. 

 

There are many reasons for this, such as symptoms having reduced, dissatisfaction with their progress or to save time or money. But another big reason is the lack of a post-Physical Therapy Fitness Program that helps patients make the transition from Physical Therapy to optimal fitness.

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And for those who don't go to PT, the same principles apply. Just taking time off, for example, may not solve the problem. It might alleviate symptoms. But if the underlying mechanics haven't been fixed, there's a good chance the same injury will resurface once activity levels intensify.

 

The greatest risk factor for injury is previous injury. This means that if you’ve had a knee injury, ankle sprain or suffered from low back pain in the past, you are at high risk for experiencing those injuries again. 

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For example, say you’ve experienced a running injury such as a chronic hamstring strain which is not uncommon in runners. Perhaps you’ve gone through PT, or just took a few months off to rest up, and now feel really good. Perhaps you’ve begun light to moderate jogging for short durations on alternate days. You don’t have symptoms or they have decreased by 90% but you haven’t started to push it hard yet. Then, you finish PT and you’re suddenly on your own with limited guidance and maybe a false sense of total recovery. Your PT may not have given you a program, or if you have just been resting, there may not have been much rehab at all. If you all of a sudden stop doing your PT exercises or didn't get the next level of advanced progression of those exercises, or ramp up the mileage too quickly, it's a recipe for re-injury. But if you increase your mileage slowly, continue working on mobility and complementary strength exercises for your specific orthopedic needs, this will set you up long-term resilience. 

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This is where Mark can help. His no one-size-fits-all, customized approach to physical fitness and program design is perfect for post rehab personal training. Mark is all about meeting each person where they are at in the injury recovery process: analyzing their biomechanics, finding important leftover deficits or imbalances and strategically progressing to advanced level exercises that complement their primary athletic goals. 

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Taking a month or two off is not enough. 4 to 8 weeks of PT is also may not enough, no matter how many times a week you go and no matter how diligent you are with the exercises your therapist gives you. The injury recovery experience continues regardless of whether you went to PT or not and once you 'graduate'. If you need help navigating through this process, contact Mark to see what he can do for you.

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