Smart Healing After a Burn

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Introduction

Burns are an everyday hazard — from lifting the lid off a steaming pot to brushing against a hot oven tray. Sometimes they leave nothing more than a quick sting; other times, they cause swelling, blistering, and skin discoloration. While doctors provide the critical first aid, burns near joints — such as the hands, elbows, knees, neck, or chest — call for another essential partner in recovery: the physiotherapist. In today’s post, we’ll explore why their role can make all the difference.


How Physiotherapy Helps After a Burn Injury

Burn injuries vary in severity — from mild scalds to deep burns from gas explosions, car accidents, or fire hazards — but the rehabilitation principles remain the same. The roles of the physiotherapist will be to:

  • Prevent contractures (permanent tightening of skin and muscles)

  • Restore mobility of the affected joint or limb

  • Maintain functional independence


What Could Go Wrong After a Burn Injury 

When a burn happens — especially over a joint like the elbow, knee, ankle, wrist, or neck — the body immediately begins repairing the damage. This natural healing process is essential, but without proper care, it can lead to long-term stiffness called a contracture. Let's quickly address the healing process following a burn injury. 

  • The Initial Healing Response

Within minutes, extra blood and healing cells rush to the injured site. This is why, even after a small kitchen mishap, you notice swelling, redness, and pain. It’s your body’s way of protecting the area and starting the repair process.

  • Scar Tissue Formation

However, to protect the wound, the body tries to replace the damaged skin (in severe cases) and produces a type of “replacement skin” called scar tissue. Medically, this tissue is made mainly of collagen — but unlike normal skin, it’s thicker, has no sweat glands or hair, and doesn’t stretch as easily. Think of it as a strong patch, but one that’s stiffer than the skin it replaces.

Scar tissue is like a patch on your favorite shirt — it covers the hole but is stiffer than the fabric around it.

  • Tightening Over Time

As the scar heals, the skin naturally starts to shrink. On flat areas of the body, this isn’t usually a big problem. But over a joint, the shrinking pulls the skin and tissues together — making the area tight and harder to move. And once it happens, contracture sets in, making simple activities like bending the elbow, walking, or turning the neck painful or even impossible.


The Good News Many Don't Know

The good news? With early physiotherapy — proper positioning, stretching, and mobility exercises — we can keep the skin flexible and joints moving, reducing the risk of long-term stiffness. Because without it, the loss of movement can become permanent; this is why you might have noticed differences between two individuals who had the same degree and area of burn injury. 

What do we do? We

  • Keep joints moving through gentle, regular exercises

  • Use correct positioning to prevent skin tightening

  • Apply splints when necessary to maintain normal alignment

  • Promote functional recovery so the person can return to daily activities without stiffness or deformity


Final Thoughts 

As we said in our post The Silent Danger of Staying Still — no one is too sick for physiotherapy. If you or someone you know suffers a burn — especially near a joint — ask for a physiotherapy referral immediately. The earlier you move, the better you heal.

Contact us at: +2348126973878


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