16/09/2026
Long Post Alert!!
Today we are talking about injury rehab.
Most people still treat injuries like it’s 1995.
Ice it. Rest it. Pop ibuprofen.
And then wonder why they’re still in pain weeks later.
Your body doesn’t want to shutdown.
It wants movement, load and blood flow.
That’s how you heal.
Tendons, ligaments and muscles repair slightly differently but the same protocols apply
Tendons:
Tendons don’t heal with rest — they heal with tension.
When there's swelling you want to avoid
NSAIDs (things like ibuprofen) for the first nine days — they interrupt the collagen forming process
Ice — despite previous recommendations the Dr that stated that ice should be used to reduce swelling has since admitted he got it wrong as icing an area slows blood flow, which in turn slows the healing process
What healing actually looks like:
Days 1–5: Your inflammation phase.
Follow the acronym PEACE:
Protect- the injured area
Education- learn that it will need to go through this healing process
Avoid anti‑inflammatories- as stated above
Compression- the body loves compression for healing
Elevation- Elevate the area above the heart if possible to aid in lymph flow
Days 5-9: Your body starts laying down Type III collagen- weaker than type I but already structurally stronger than the injured tissue
Day 9: By day 9 your body has layed down the majority of type I collagen which is much stronger and ready for loading
This phase you want to use the LOVE acronym
Load — low level, long duration isometrics early in your training
Optimism — its been clinically proven that people that believe they will recover from injury do so far quicker than people that dont
Vascularisation — you want to introduce cardio vascular exercise, it doesn't matter the mode (as long as its not causing more impact to the affected area) you want to get as much blood pumping around the system as possible
Exercise — build back up to full exercise and load bearing
Muscle tears: same pain type, different tissue
Muscles heal FAST — if you move them.
Grade 1 tear (no bruising): you want to start Isometric loading the tissue the same day if possible with adding gentle range of motion immediately
Muscles lay down new fibres that need tension to line up properly.
No movement = messy scar tissue which will cause problems down the line
General aches and pain: remember- movement IS medicine!!
Pain doesn’t always mean damage.
Often it’s sensitivity, irritation, or your nervous system being dramatic.
Movement calms it down.
Movement pumps blood.
Movement reduces inflammation.
Movement builds confidence.
Movement gets you out of pain.
Even in flare‑ups: don’t freeze — just move within tolerance and pain free ranges.
This is the ethos we follow at pain free strength. Pain is not your destiny, if this post speaks to you reach out and book a free consultation and movement assessment and let us get you back to beyond your best
Achieve strength, mobility, and recovery with Pain Free Strength. Expert personal training and therapy programmes in a supportive environment.
