To rest, or not to rest, that is the question…

Don’t worry I won’t butcher or plagiarise Shakespeare any further. Instead let’s focus on rest. Is it helpful? Can it be unhelpful? Can it be both? The shortest answer is yes!

This time of year  our routine quite often changes, we slow down a bit and we have some well-deserved, and often needed, rest time. This imperative down time allows us to reset, feel refreshed and energised for the New Year, so it is hugely beneficial.

Regarding rest for injuries and pain, for most of us, rest is usually something we see as being helpful for recovery and is often one of the first things we will do, and initially, it is helpful.

How can rest be unhelpful at times?

To answer this, let’s briefly look into natural history and tissue healing times. Natural history refers to the time it takes for your injury, pathology or condition to improve on its own without any treatment. For example, if you have an episode of acute low back pain, it is likely to have significantly improved within 6-8 weeks. Tissue healing is what occurs following an acute injury, such as a muscle strain, and takes place in stages , with the time period varying depending on what structure has been injured. For example, a grade 1 muscle strain usually heals within 2-3 weeks whereas a grade 2 muscle strain can take anywhere from 4 to 12 weeks to heal.

Despite tissue healing and natural history’s role in recovery there are also factors that can slow this process down, for example, if you smoke, drink alcohol and have poor sleep. Another factor to consider is prolonged rest. In the early stages of an injury rest is beneficial as it allows the beginning of the tissue healing process to begin. However, after the initial 24-48 hours it is really important to start moving your body as much as is comfortable. This is because we know movement, loading and exercise promotes repair, remodelling, builds tissue tolerance and the capacity of tendons, muscles and ligaments. The downside of resting for a prolonged period of time is that once we start to use and load that area again its loading tolerance and strength is likely to have decreased. We may also develop other secondary impairments such as reduced strength in other areas of the body, reduced exercise and loading tolerance, and reduced balance and proprioception; all of which will impact our ability to return to and participate in our usual activities and as a result can slow down our recovery process.

Should I be resting my injury?

In summary, relative rest can be beneficial and needed for a brief period of time, but long term it can become unhelpful and potentially can lead to secondary impairments.

To help you to find the right amount of relative rest and loading for you and your specific injury, we suggest visiting a specialist musculoskeletal Physiotherapist, such as our team at SHP Health, who will be able to help you. During your appointment your appointment with us, Physiotherapist will conduct a thorough assessment, identify and help you understand your injury, discuss and advise timeline expectations, and in collaboration with you put together a management plan that is tailored to you and your individual needs and goals.

Get in touch with our friendly reception team on 01306 640149 or email us at [email protected] to book. Or you can check availability and book online .