How an Acute Injury Becomes Chronic
Acute injuries are considered an injury that happened less than 2 weeks ago. This mainly applies to traumatic injuries (think a surface level cut, a sprained ankle or a surgical repair of your ACL). For overuse injuries like frozen shoulder or tendinopathies, this happens because of repetitive microtraumas to the affected area. Usually, when there is trauma or injury, the body will create a short inflammatory response to get new blood and nutrients to the injured area to help with speeding up the repair. If everything goes well and the body is in the optimal state for healing, the process for the wound to heal and get back to normal function will take anywhere from 2-3 weeks.
HOWEVER
you're probably not in the optimal state to heal.
When the body is chronically stressed, commonly from overworking or under fueling, it depletes the resources necessary for proper healing and starts to compensate by releasing less nutrients, compromising blood flow to tissues and slowing down our metabolic rate to conserve energy. Rather than focusing on your recovery, this leads you down a negative spiral of feeling like you are not doing enough, and pushing your body more, which leads you to poor injury repair and chronic pain. By making sure to prioritize whole body recovery, you can keep any injury from becoming a chronic problem and get back to doing everything you love!
Top 5 Mistakes You Make in Injury Recovery
(and what to do instead)
1
INSTEAD: Add in daily gentle movement to prevent stiffness, rebuild strength, and improve circulation—follow a rehab plan from your healthcare provider, don’t just rest.
Not Moving Enough
Stay still too long, and you’ll heal slower and stiffer.
2
INSTEAD: Fuel your recovery with protein, healthy fats, and nutrients — your body needs extra energy to heal, repair and rebuild damaged tissues, so give it what it needs!
Eating Less Food
Starving your body means starving your recovery
3
INSTEAD: Pace yourself, and increase activity gradually to strengthen your joints without setbacks. Following a set rehab plan makes sure you come back when you are ready.
Doing Too Much Too Fast
Rush the process, and you’ll be right back at square one.
4
INSTEAD: Manage pain wisely with guidance and safe options. Short term pain medications, acupuncture, supplements, and proper rest are all amazing options — no need to suffer in silence.
"Toughing It Out"
Not using your medications and ignoring pain just slows you down
5
INSTEAD: Lean on your team—coaches, loved ones and health professionals, are there to help. They keep you accountable and supported. Everyone is there to keep your energy up and get you back to doing what you love.
Ignoring your Support
Healing is easier with backup—don’t play the lone wolf!
Your Naturopathic Approach to Supporting Recovery
You first need to understand that your recovery is not only physical, it is also PHYSIOLOGICAL. Understand how your body works, what it likes and what it needs to feel good. This is the fastest way to optimize your recovery to get you back to feeling like YOU again.
PHYSICAL REHAB
is all about getting you moving again—restoring strength, mobility, and function so you can recover fully and come back stronger.
NUTRITION
fuels your recovery. The right nutrients help repair tissue, reduce inflammation, and keep your energy levels up so you don’t burn out.
MENTAL RESILIENCE
keeps you going when things get tough. Having the right support network helps you manage stress, stay focused, and push through setbacks.
METABOLIC HEALTH
is key for endurance and resilience. When your key body systems are working efficiently, you recover faster, regulate hormones better, and avoid re-injury.
Pathways
Full Lifestyle Support
CA$1500+
Supporting your Health your way
CA$600+
Natural Family Medicine and Primary Health Care
65 Canadian dollars
Top Treatment Options
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Physical Therapies & bodywork
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IV Vitamin Therapy
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Vitamin muscular injections
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Supplement recommendations
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Exercise and Sports nutrition
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Acupuncture (full body and dry needling)
Bourne Unbound Health and Performance helps athletes and performing artists at all levels optimize their health, recover faster, and perform at their best. Led by a naturopathic doctor, we offer targeted treatments like vitamin injections and personalized performance programs to support endurance, strength, and injury prevention.
Located within Ember and Spark Health Collective, we provide care in a space designed for creative professionals. Whether you're training, competing, or recovering, we help you stay strong, energized, and resilient—so you can keep doing what you love.