There are many different kinds of tissues in the body and they all heal at different rates. While the initial inflammatory response to an injury begins immediately after an injury occurs, the time it takes for a tissue to fully heal can range from a couple of weeks to several months.
The time depends greatly on a variety of things such as an individual’s age, overall health status, severity of tissue damage, and what tissue is involved. Most notably – how much blood supply is directed toward the affected tissue and how well the body can move fluids through the area. This is why muscles will heal much faster than cartilage.
While a tissue may be healed enough to begin returning to normal activities in a few weeks, there is likely some degree of the tissue healing process continuing in the background for months to even years later.
Below is a list of the traditional tissue healing timelines. Remember that these can vary:
Muscles – 2 to 4 weeks
Tendons – 4 to 6 weeks
Bone – 6 to 8 weeks
Ligaments – 10 to 12 weeks
Cartilage – 12 weeks or longer
Nerves– 3 to 4 mm a day
We, as physical therapists, often times get asked, “How can I heal faster?” Or “How can I make this process go by quicker so I can get back to XYZ?”
And the answer is most often delivered with a shrug, a glance up toward the ceiling, and a physical therapist’s favorite line – “It depends.”
What we DO know is how to increase the rate of blood flow to the injured tissue faster than how it natural runs in the body. This can be achieved through movement, manual therapy, and lifestyle factors that influence this vital process (stay tuned for my next blog for this information).
At the end of the day, consultation with a physical therapist on injury prevention & management will give your body it’s best chance at healing.
If you live in Orlando and are curious on how to prevent, treat, and manage an injury using physical therapy – please give us a call today at 407-476-6613
Or click the button below to schedule a call or an appointment
Megan Ford, PT, DPT, CF-L1
References:
Leong NL, Kator JL, Clemens TL, James A, Enamoto-Iwamoto M, Jiang J. Tendon and Ligament Healing and Current Approaches to Tendon and Ligament Regeneration. J Orthop Res. 2020;38(1):7-12. doi:10.1002/jor.24475
Tissue Healing Times and wound healing phases. Physical Therapy Web. https://physicaltherapyweb.com/tissue-healing-timelines/. Published December 20, 2020.