Inflammation, Recovery, and Movement: The Functional PT Perspective

Dec 1

A few weeks ago, an athlete came into the clinic after a minor ankle sprain.
Nothing major—no tears, no fractures—just lingering swelling and stiffness.

He said, “I’ve been icing it every night, taking turmeric, and resting like crazy. But it still feels tight and achy.”

Here’s what we discovered: his body wasn’t inflamed because it was broken. It was inflamed because it wasn’t moving.

Inflammation Isn’t the Enemy

When people hear “inflammation,” they think of something bad—something to fight off, suppress, or ice away. But inflammation is step one in your body’s repair process.

Research from Tidball (2017, Nature Reviews Immunology) shows that inflammation triggers the clean-up crew: immune cells that remove damaged tissue and signal regeneration. Without it, you can’t heal.

The real problem? When inflammation lingers because the system never transitions from cleanup mode to rebuild mode.

And what tells your body it’s safe to rebuild?
Movement.

Why Movement Changes Everything

Every time you move, you do more than stretch muscles—you circulate fluid, stimulate lymph flow, and send neural feedback that calms inflammatory signaling.

A 2021 study in Frontiers in Physiology found that light, controlled movement after soft-tissue injury reduced chronic inflammation and improved tissue remodeling compared to complete rest.

That’s why at The MVMT Lab, I often tell athletes:

“You don’t rest your way out of inflammation. You move your way out.”

We started gentle ankle mobility drills—circulation work, banded dorsiflexion, short walks. Within a week, swelling dropped by half.

He wasn’t just moving blood. He was moving information.

The Functional PT Perspective

Traditional recovery often focuses on stopping inflammation.
Functional recovery focuses on guiding it.

When you move early—appropriately and intentionally—you:

  • Promote healthy cytokine balance (IL-6 → IL-10 shift).

  • Prevent fibrotic scar tissue formation.

  • Restore joint lubrication and nutrient delivery.

Research in the Journal of Orthopaedic Research (2019) confirmed that moderate mechanical loading improves tendon and ligament healing by regulating inflammatory mediators. Too little = stagnation. Too much = reinjury. The sweet spot is smart, progressive movement.

The Big Picture

Inflammation isn’t a sign your body is failing—it’s a sign it’s working.
The goal isn’t to “shut it off.” It’s to steer it.

So next time you’re nursing an injury and feel that low-level ache or stiffness, don’t rush to eliminate it completely. Ask instead:

“What kind of movement would help my body finish what it started?”

Because recovery isn’t just about time off—
It’s about teaching your body how to return to balance.

Takeaway:

Inflammation isn’t your enemy—it’s your body’s language of repair.

If you listen and move with it, not against it, recovery doesn’t just happen faster—it happens smarter.

References:

  • Tidball, J. G. (2017). Regulation of muscle growth and regeneration by the immune system. Nature Reviews Immunology, 17(3), 165–178.

  • Davis, M. E., et al. (2021). The role of movement in resolving inflammation: Insights from rehabilitation science. Frontiers in Physiology, 12, 709–721.

  • Wang, H., et al. (2019). Mechanical loading modulates inflammation and tendon healing.Journal of Orthopaedic Research, 37(10), 2116–2126.