{"id":313926,"date":"2020-06-22T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-06-22T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/natalien12.sg-host.com\/?p=313926"},"modified":"2020-06-05T20:59:30","modified_gmt":"2020-06-05T20:59:30","slug":"four-stages-of-healing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/warnerorthopedics.com\/four-stages-of-healing\/","title":{"rendered":"The Four Stages of Healing"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Hi, Dr. Meredith Warner here –<\/strong><\/p>

As an orthopedic surgeon, I not only specialize in surgical procedures – but also have to be an expert in the process of healing. Surgery is simply a means to the end – and the goal of each procedure is healing and the promotion of better form and function. I\u2019d like to share a little bit of what I know about the physical process of healing with you today:<\/span><\/p>

There are four main phases of healing<\/strong> that are universal and generally follow the same pattern and timing no matter what. If there is variation, that is when there are problems. Diabetics, for example, have differences in timing between the four phases of healing, which makes their wounds heal slower or become chronic. Each phase needs to function flawlessly and this also can be a source of problems.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Connective tissue is the stuff that puts a human together and makes the body \u201cstick\u201d together – not just tendons and ligaments.\u00a0 Connective tissue can be bone, ligament, nerves, muscles, tendons and the matrix (surrounding gel\/fluid) that holds the cells in place. Its universality throughout the structures of the body serves as a reminder for the interconnectedness of the healing cycle.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

The basic building material for connective tissues is often collagen; this is a sort-of woven protein structure. When connective tissue is injured, the collagen must be reformed and the structure of the material (skin, tendon, ligament, etc.) must be re-formed. The human body uses a four-step process that reliably achieves these goals if the environment is right.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

\u00a0The four phases of healing are<\/span> hemostasis, inflammation, proliferation and remodeling.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>

Stage One: Hemostasis<\/h2>

Just after an injury, the body is in a default mode to protect and survive. If, for example, an injury results in bleeding, the body stops the bleeding in an effort to preserve the tissue and save energy for possible fight or flight. The body does this primarily through the process of clotting. A clot is a clump of platelets and inflammatory cells that are the first to arrive at the site of injury. They are called to the area by a complicated system of signals released into the bloodstream as soon as an injury occurs. <\/span><\/p>

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At the scene of the wound, be it a cut, laceration, contusion, burn, chemical exposure, tear or anything, the platelets bind the exposed collagen of that tissue within the extracellular matrix. Once bound, the platelets begin to work.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Platelets are magical fragments of cells in the blood stream with awesome healing capacity. These begin to immediately secrete sphingosine-1-phosphate, thrombospondin, fibronectin, von Willebrand factor. These then stimulate even more platelet action, promoting a release of clotting factors, which stop the bleeding – by causing a matrix of fibrin to develop that acts as a plug. This stable clot\/plug then acts as a bed for substances and cells flowing into the wound, because the platelets in a clot also secrete growth factors <\/span>that are integral to the next steps in healing.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>

Platelets release the following substances; many of these have been looked at by pharmaceutical companies separately as potential profit centers:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>