How Long to Immobilize?

Another interesting article for all our patients. In a study by Sekia et al (2007), they found that immobilizing (or putting your arm/ leg in a cast) for as short as a week will lead to a drop in your functional ability and strength to exert your immobilized limb. We've also seen enough patients to say that your quadriceps (front of thigh) muscles literally becomes smaller overnight (and hence weaker) after an operation. Even in cases when the operation is done through an arthroscopy (or key hole surgery), the muscles basically wastes away.

This indicates the importance of mobilizing the cast limb as soon as possible. Often, we will even do it during the period of immobilization itself. Trust me, our patients can testify to that. Our ACL reconstruction patients will tell you how hard we push them. And they always thank us for that later.

How do we try to get the injured (and sometimes in plaster cast) limb to work when pain is a real issue? Well, for those of you who are injured and want to find out (and want to get better faster of course), come to Physio Solutions to get treated and you'll find out.

Article from Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology (2007). 17 (2) pg 113-120

* Picture from Flickr