During which healing stage should movement be graded cautiously?

During which healing stage should movement be graded cautiously?

• A. Inflammation
• B. Proliferation
• C. Maturation
• D. Remodeling

Answer: (B)

During healing, the tissue is most fragile in the proliferative phase, when fibroblasts are actively laying down collagen and granulation tissue is forming. Movement at this point should be graded cautiously because the new repair tissue hasn’t yet gained strength or the right alignment. Gentle, controlled motion helps guide collagen fibers along the load paths and prevents adhesions, without overloading and risking disruption of the forming matrix. As remodeling progresses, collagen becomes more organized and tensile strength increases, allowing progressively greater loading. In the inflammatory stage, protection and rest are emphasized to prevent disruption of clot formation, and in later remodeling the emphasis shifts to strengthening with higher loads.

During healing, the tissue is most fragile in the proliferative phase, when fibroblasts are actively laying down collagen and granulation tissue is forming. Movement at this point should be graded cautiously because the new repair tissue hasn’t yet gained strength or the right alignment. Gentle, controlled motion helps guide collagen fibers along the load paths and prevents adhesions, without overloading and risking disruption of the forming matrix. As remodeling progresses, collagen becomes more organized and tensile strength increases, allowing progressively greater loading. In the inflammatory stage, protection and rest are emphasized to prevent disruption of clot formation, and in later remodeling the emphasis shifts to strengthening with higher loads.