| Stages of Inflammation |
Time Frame |
Symptoms |
ROM & Pain |
| Acute - beginning of healing stage |
From the moment of injury up to 3-4
days post injury |
Redness, Swelling (edema), heat, pain
and often loss of function. Muscle spasm and guarding.
Bruising if present, is black, blue, red or purple |
Pain is secondary to muscle spasm and
guarding |
| Early Subacute - Granulation tissue and
epithelialization stage. |
Within two days to two weeks |
Affected area shows diminishing signs
of inflammation, pink, warm, slightly edematous, somewhat less painful
tissue. Muscle spasm diminishes. Bruising if present,
relatively unchanged |
With ROM pain is experienced when
tissue resistance is encountered. |
| Late Subacute - wound retraction and
scar remodeling stage |
Begins 2nd to 3rd week of subacute
stage |
May or may not be a pocket of residual
swelling. Minimal discomfort but potential loss or ROM due to
adhesions and muscle weakness. If bruising present it changes to
yellow, brown, green and then disappears. |
Pain is encountered with overpressure
(stretch) to the affected tissue |
| Chronic- restoration of function |
Overlaps with the latter part of the
subacute stage at about 2-3 weeks post injury up to 1-2 years |
Inflammatory process is resolved.
No edema, but there is loss of full ROM |
Pain is encountered with overpressure
(stretch) to the affected tissue or secondary stress placed on the
contracture. |
