Debunking 3 Top Myths About Injury Recovery

These 3 Common Injury Recovery Myths are Ruining Your Recovery (& What to Do Instead!)

As a seasoned Physical Therapist in Charleston, SC, I see so many people come in months — sometimes YEARS — after their original injury. It usually sounds something like:

• “I’ve had back problems since I threw my back out 20 years ago.”

• “My knee has never been the same since high school soccer.”

• “My hamstrings have always given me trouble.”

By the time they come to see us, their pain or injury is significantly affecting their life, and they feel like they’ve tried everything.

They're at a loss for what to do next.

Here’s why they're still dealing with these lingering injuries years later: 

Traditional injury advice delays recovery, doesn't address the causes of the injury, and leads to more chronic issues down the road. 

SUPER FRUSTRATING, am I right?? 

There is nothing that makes me wanna bash my head against the wall than misinformation and bad health advice. 

Which brings me here now, writing to you... 

Today, I’m going to outline the most common injury recovery myths I hear and what I tell my patients to do instead for soft tissue strains ("tweaks") and sprains -- after an evaluation, of course :) 

1. "Stop Moving—Just Rest and Use Ice!"

Rest and ice can provide temporary relief, but they definitely shouldn’t be your only recovery strategy.

Why ‘Just Resting’ Doesn’t Work:

• Complete rest leads to muscle weakness, worsened mobility, and decreased blood flow—all of which delay recovery.

• Icing may reduce swelling temporarily, but it can slow our body’s natural healing response if overused. I rarely recommend it,

What I Tell My Patients Instead:

• Inflammation Isn’t the Enemy: After an acute injury, inflammation is your body’s natural repair response. Trying to stop it would be like blocking an ambulance from arriving at the scene. Support it — don’t halt it.

• Movement Matters: Movement increases blood flow, which delivers nutrients to injured tissues and removes waste products. Even moving other parts of your body can help!

• Use Relative Rest, Not Complete Rest: Modify activities to avoid aggravating the injury while keeping the area moving in a safe, controlled way. For example, after a sprained ankle, use crutches and do non-weightbearing or seated exercises instead of staying completely off your feet.

2. "Avoid the Movement That Injured You."

Most people think they got injured because they moved “the wrong way,” so they avoid that movement forever. But this avoidance makes you weaker and more likely to get re-injured.

What I Do With My Patients Instead: At my Charleston physical therapy practice, I take a gradual and controlled approach to reintroducing movement.

• I help patients ease back into movement through small, intentional steps.

• We focus on building strength and confidence over time.
  

For example: if you’re nervous about rounding your back after a back injury, start with safe, light-loaded movements that involve flexion, like cat-cows or controlled, light Jefferson curls.

Avoiding movement forever only makes the problem worse.

Also from our blog:

Implementing Isometrics: Tackling Knee Pain

Preventive Physical Therapy: How to Stay Active and Avoid Injuries

Muscle Mastery 101: Isometric vs. Eccentric vs. Concentric

What’s The Real Fountain of Youth?

3. "You Just Need to Stretch More."

OMG. YALL. Stretching must have hired an amazing PR firm because for some reason, everyone thinks stretching is the universal solution to all their problems. 

Most injuries happen because your tissues can’t handle the force or stress placed on them — not because they’re “too tight.”

Think about a house made of straw. Would you pull at the straw and try to lengthen it so it doesn't get knocked down by a storm? Or would you replace the straw with something stronger that can withstand forces?

What I Do With My Patients Instead:

• Assess the Cause: Is tightness the issue, or is it a response to weakness or overload? With a thorough evaluation, we can figure out the root causes.

• Targeted Mobility: If mobility is an issue, use loaded stretches and active mobility, not just passive stretching.

• Strengthen Weak Areas: If tightness is caused by overloading tissues, focus on strengthening them to build capacity and resilience.
  

Injuries are frustrating.

What’s even more frustrating is letting a minor injury turn into a lifelong problem because it wasn’t addressed the right way.

By doing the RIGHT things after an injury, you can:

• Speed up the healing process.

• Get back to doing what you love.

• Avoid chronic pain and injury in the future.

The next time you’re dealing with an injury, remember: Movement is medicine. Physical therapy helps you harness it wisely.

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