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Phases of Rehabilitation
Phases of Rehabilitation
At Proactive, rehabilitation isn’t a checklist, it’s a progressive system designed to restore movement, rebuild strength, and return you to the activities you love with confidence. Our 5-stage approach guides you from the very first session to full performance, with each phase intentionally layered so your progress feels steady, supported, and measurable.
Every body heals differently, so timelines are never fixed. We move forward based on how you respond, not on arbitrary weeks or protocols.
Stage 1 - Pain Management and Early Injury Care
Settle Pain, Calm the Injury, Stabilize the Area
The first priority is simple: help your body settle. We focus on reducing pain, swelling, and any acute symptoms from injury, overuse, or surgery.
Your physiotherapist may combine:
targeted manual therapy
soft tissue mobilization
pain-reducing modalities (ice, heat, electrophysical therapy)
gentle activation work
The goal is to create the ideal environment for healing and prepare you for movement in the next stage.
Stage 2 - Improve Flexibility and Joint Function
Restore Mobility & Healthy Movement Patterns
Once pain is under control, we focus on restoring what injury often takes away first: easy, pain-free movement.
This stage aims to:
rebuild joint range of motion
improve flexibility
restore natural movement mechanics
prevent stiffness from developing
Your therapist uses joint mobilisation, stretching techniques, mobility drills, and hands-on guidance to ensure the right balance, enough challenge to progress, but not so much that it reignites inflammation.
Stage 3 - Progressive Strength Training for Recovery
Build Strength, Endurance & Tissue Capacity
Here, we begin rebuilding the engine. This phase focuses on:
- regaining muscle strength
- improving endurance
- restoring tissue tolerance to load
- re-activating stabilizing muscles
Training follows a progressive loading approach to avoid overload and encourage safe adaptation. We incorporate strength training, conditioning, and targeted muscle work, always based on your current capacity and goals.
Where needed, we use measurable testing (strength assessments, endurance markers, etc.) to guide progress and ensure you’re tracking toward pre-injury levels.
Stage 4 - Neuromuscular Training and Injury Prevention
Rebuild Coordination, Balance & Proprioception
Injury disrupts your body’s internal GPS, proprioception.
This stage retrains your ability to control movement, react quickly, and stabilise under load. We focus on:
balance training
neuromuscular coordination
reaction drills
dynamic stability exercises
Every program is personalised, no athlete or individual responds the same. Restoring these systems early is key for confident, efficient movement and reducing reinjury risk.
Stage 5 - Performance and Daily Function Restoration
Return to Life, Work, and Sport With Confidence
The final stage transitions you from “rehabilitation” back to “performance.”
For athletes, this means sport-specific skills, on-field conditioning, agility, and movement patterns that match the demands of their sport.
For non-athletes, this means returning to daily activities: lifting, walking, working, training without pain, hesitation, or fear.
Your therapist continuously adapts the program session-to-session, ensuring your return is smooth, safe, and sustainable.
