Injury caused the change in path that lead to this personal training/rehab business being started. (read about this in my bio) We can therefore empathize with the frustration, the pain, the loss of direction, the depression and all other things associated with a major injury. It is also the reason why this business has a very large rehabilitation component. It is also why there is a Reiki element to what we do.

Injuries can occur at any time and in any shape. The severity of the initial injury can be life-altering, or just simply a daily nuisance. That said, whatever the case, rehabilitating yourself is very important to your future.

The most important reason for this is that the body is incredibly adaptible. Now, one might ask why then is rehab important if I am so adaptible?! The answer to that would be that the initial injury is often not the most debilitating of the injuries you will incur.

Each injury is different, but they often follow a common thread; the injury occurs, the body goes into instant heal mode (bleeding, scarring, skin binding etc...) but even before this has happened the nervous system has implemented changes to your motor patterns so as not to exacerbate the issue and keep you from using the affected area. This might be a change in your gait (walking pattern) so that you limp slighlty. It can also be seen as a tightness in the surrounding musculature such as in a sprain or broken bone to keep you off the limb. Often this tightness or shortening of musculature stays around much longer than the original injury and is often the source of further injury from mal-alignment + gravity + your lifestyle.

The problem with this is that your body's ONLY purpose is survival. It will do what is necessary for you to survive. Your conscious mind is what helps you strive and elevate yourself physically. So, even if your body is repairing you still need to be functional enough to accomplish the five physical pillars of Health as these are what keep you alive. It will therefore skirt returning you to your original state in favor of the fastest route to "making you mobile". This is where the physical rehab industry has sprouted from.

With this in mind there are a number of steps that need to happen after you have sustained an injury. If these are not accomplished the body cannot return to its original state (or as close as possible.)

9 steps to rehab

1- Swelling must be reduced to prevent the surrounding tissues from dying from "Secondary Hypoxic injury" (effectively the tissues drown in the fluid produced by swelling, be that extracellular fluid, blood etc...) You may be familiar with the term I.C.E (ice, compression, elevation).

2- Once the swelling is reduced bloodflow must be re-introduced, usually this is done in the form of heat (Reiki is often used here also)

3- Next, stability of the joint and alignment must be established. If you are going to a physiotherapist the above steps along with minor mobility exercises (eg. slight joint movements) will be executed. A chiropractor (see health network for ours)will usually treat you to this stage also.

4- The Surrounding musculature around the joint must often then be stretched to prevent imbalances.

5- The strength of the joint must then be re-established. At least to be functional enough that you can return to simple movements without pain.

***This is often where rehailitation stops as you start to feel 'normal' again. Alas, this is the most dangerous part of the rehab process because the body is no longer restricting you and reminding you that you are not yet back to normal. Some injuries take a number of years of rehab to be 'normal. ***So you will notice, there are still a number of steps before you can return to your original state.

6- Scar tissue must be broken down around the joint, and releases done to fascia near the injured site to detach it from the surrounding musculature. This is often best done by a massage therapist - (ours are in 'health network').

7- Musculature around joints above and below the injured site need to regain their flexibility. This is where a properly trained personal trainer educated in rehabilitative processes can be of major help to you. (Book in to see us)

8- Muscle tone and size must be re-established. In a limb for instance; mucle loss from lack of use can cause imbalances, this can cause a shift in the pelvis or shoulder girdle and may propagate into the spine.

9- Coordination must also be re-established for your natural movements, and for any specific activities/sports you engage in. The nervous pathways will have changed and require stimulation to re-establish the muscular execution in the proper order.