From the Guidelines
Movement and mobility are essential for the healing process, as they promote faster recovery, better outcomes, and improved quality of life. Regular physical activity, such as aerobic exercise, resistance training, and flexibility exercises, can increase blood circulation, delivering essential nutrients and oxygen to injured tissues while removing waste products, thereby accelerating healing 1. Movement also prevents muscle atrophy, maintains joint flexibility, and reduces stiffness that can develop during recovery periods.
For optimal healing, a progressive approach is recommended, starting with gentle movements appropriate to the injury or condition, then gradually increasing intensity as healing progresses. For most injuries, early mobilization (within pain limits) is beneficial, beginning with range-of-motion exercises and advancing to strength training and functional movements. This approach helps maintain tissue health, prevents compensatory movement patterns, and reduces the risk of re-injury.
Additionally, movement stimulates the release of anti-inflammatory compounds and growth factors that support tissue repair, while also providing psychological benefits like reduced stress and improved mood that contribute to overall healing 1. The specific type and timing of movement should be tailored to the particular condition, ideally under professional guidance from physical therapists or healthcare providers who can ensure exercises are appropriate for the stage of healing.
Some key considerations for movement and mobility in the healing process include:
- Starting with low-intensity exercises and gradually increasing intensity as healing progresses
- Incorporating a variety of exercises, such as aerobic, resistance, and flexibility training
- Focusing on functional movements that mimic daily activities
- Listening to the body and resting when needed to avoid overexertion
- Working with a healthcare professional to develop a personalized exercise plan.
Overall, incorporating movement and mobility into the healing process can have a significant impact on recovery, quality of life, and overall health outcomes.
From the Research
Relationship Between Fitness and Healing
The relationship between fitness, particularly movement and mobility, and the healing process is complex and multifaceted. Research has shown that physical activity and exercise training can have a positive impact on the healing process by reducing inflammation and promoting tissue repair.
Mechanisms of Healing
- Physical activity and exercise training can enhance overall cardiorespiratory fitness, which can lead to reductions in inflammation and overall cardiovascular risk 2.
- Exercise can elicit an inflammatory response of a subclinical nature to facilitate the repairing process for site-specific tissue damage 3.
- Physical fitness can confer resilience by inducing positive psychological and physiological benefits, blunting stress reactivity, and protecting against potentially adverse behavioral and metabolic consequences of stressful events 4.
- Mechanotherapy, or the prescription of exercise to promote tissue repair, can stimulate tissue repair and remodeling in tendon, muscle, cartilage, and bone through the process of mechanotransduction 5.
Benefits of Movement and Mobility
- Regular exercise and physical fitness can minimize excessive inflammation, which can promote behavioral and metabolic resilience and protect against various chronic diseases associated with systemic inflammation 4.
- Exercise can benefit the brain by enhancing growth factor expression and neural plasticity, contributing to improved mood and cognition 4.
- Aerobic fitness is considered protective for all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease, a variety of cancers, joint disease, and depression 6.
Role of Exercise in Healing
- Exercise can be used therapeutically to stimulate tissue repair and remodeling in a wide range of musculoskeletal problems 5.
- The mechanisms governing the health and performance benefits of exercise are complex and multifaceted, involving the skeletal muscle system and other target organs 6.
- Understanding the mechanisms of action of exercise can allow for the development of new therapies that mimic the protective actions of exercise 6.