One of the most important factors in dealing with musculoskeletal (bone, joint, muscle, etc) injuries and ailments is rehabilitation. This is true not only for those who have had surgery but also for those who want to avoid it. Rehabilitation, or “rehab”, usually involves a step wise progressive program to regain maximal function. Programs will vary greatly depending on the specific bone, muscle or joint involved as well as the diagnosis. Exercise is usually the cornerstone and begins with regaining full mobility (range of motion), flexibility, strength and endurance. Next higher skills are incorporated such as regaining balance, coordination and proprioception until maximal function returns and the individual can return to the highest level desired and/or possible.

Individuals can sometimes do their rehab on their own but are often better served by working with a physical therapist or athletic trainer. This is one of the reasons why pro athletes seem to return to such higher levels of activity much sooner than anyone else. They are not only in better shape overall (which helps with recovery) but also have round the clock access to top notch physical therapists and trainers and advanced rehabilitation techniques. Athletes also lessen the risk of injuries and problems by using rehabilitation type programs in a preventive matter before injury strikes, something we call pre-habilitation or "pre-hab". It includes strength, flexibility and cardiovascular conditioning program as well as preseason "screenings" to identify and improve potential problem areas or "weak links".