Whether they’re related to a sports injury or other type of accident, or a degenerative condition like osteoarthritis, broken or fractured bones take time to heal.
Depending on the location and severity of your fracture, you may need to keep one or more joints immobilized in a cast or other supportive medical device for some amount of time. But doing so may make it a hassle to stay healthy and active.
At the Center for Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine, Dr. Michael L. Blackwell and his team recommend that you exercise as much as possible during your recuperation, supporting your whole-body health as well as your healing.
Further, if you plan on returning to your sport, you’re going to need to stay in good condition while you’re recovering!
Dr. Blackwell provides fracture care, as well as other aspects of his sports medicine expertise, from his locations in Tomball, Kingwood, and Shenandoah, Texas. Here are some of his recommendations for staying active during your recuperation.
After caring for your fracture, which may involve surgery for severe or compound breaks, Dr. Blackwell customizes a physical therapy plan to restore your strength and mobility. He takes into account the location and severity of your fracture, ensuring that you don’t harm the healing areas of your body.
The team shows you how to do your physical therapy exercises and stretches correctly. Most physical therapy regimens involve in-office and at-home time.
It’s important to follow your physical therapy plan closely, and not skip out on exercises or let too much time pass without activity. Your body needs this support to heal – and you need to stay in condition!
While you need rest to recover from a broken bone, studies show that getting active early is also essential for your recovery, whether you’re an athlete or not. Exercise itself actually helps bones heal. Let’s review the science behind it.
For a fractured bone to knit back together, your body supplies the area with oxygen-rich blood to restore and regrow tissue, as well as adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to spur bone regrowth. Exercise increases the presence of all of these key elements.
When you’re active, your blood vessels enlarge, so your circulation and blood oxygenation levels increase. Contracting the muscles in the area around a fractured bone with exercises is also helpful for osteocyte (bone cell) regeneration.
Dr. Blackwell supports his patients in finding safe ways for his patients with fractures to reap all of these benefits.
The best type of activity for accelerating bone healing is weight-bearing exercise. Weight-bearing activities improve bone mass and density, helping your fractured bone heal stronger than ever.
Depending on the location of your fractured bone, you may benefit from low-impact weight-bearing exercises like leg-lifts and strength-ball squeezes. Dr. Blackwell and his team show you the types of weight-bearing exercises that are best while you heal.
You want your fracture to heal rapidly and correctly, and for your baseline health to remain good during your recovery. With the support of Dr. Blackwell and the Center for Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine team, that can be your reality. Contact us online or over the phone today.
