Frequently after an injury, one of the first questions patients ask is "How long until I can ______?". I get it, unexpected injuries interrupt our quality of life and naturally we are ready to "get back in the game"--like yesterday. Unfortunately, with many injuries, we have to determine the type of tissue that was injured, assess the blood supply to that area, and assess the damage done.
There are 3 phases to healing: inflammatory, proliferative, and remodeling/maturation. These stages typically overlap in some capacity too. The hardest part of healing is understanding that healing is not linear and different injuries will take different time. Typically muscle heals faster than tendon and ligament, ligament heals faster than tendon, and tendons are typically the longest to heal and require the most patience.
Receiving a proper evaluation, diagnosis and treatment plan from a trusted professional is the best first step that you can take. If you are looking at maximizing your clinical outcomes, give us a call!