Exercise and Therapy

Exercise is movements to stretch or strengthen parts of the body. Burn patients stretch their skin so it will heal well. After a burn injury, exercise and therapy includes stretching, working, playing, using splints and positioning!

When someone has a burn injury they must work hard to keep their body strong and flexible to get healthy again. A therapist will teach exercises that will help the body heal in the best way possible. Exercises to accomplish this task might include:

Head and face
Making funny faces.

Neck
Looking to each side.
Looking up and down.
Watching TV with the neck stretched over a pillow.

Arms and hands
Jumping jacks
Lifting weights
Making fists
Practice writing
Holding a fork, spoon or knife
Holding and bouncing a small ball

Legs
Jumping jacks
Lifting weights
Walking or running
Riding a bike

Getting well after a severe burn injury usually involves graft surgeries and it also includes therapy. In therapy, a person might do exercises, wear splints and work to regain independence (being able to do things by yourself again). It may be a long time after a burn until a person is able to feed himself or to walk alone. It is important to start doing things independently (without anyone else's help) as soon as possible. Some examples of doing things by yourself that might be difficult include dressing, eating and playing. Additional new tasks and responsibility in a daily routine often includes wearing:

• bandages
• compression garments
• transparent face masks
• mouth splints
• neck splints

One of the most common complaints after a burn injury is that it seems like the skin feels tight and doesn't want to move. This feeling is real and normal. This is because as the burned skin heals, it shrinks and becomes tight and harder to move. This is very frustrating! The burned skin is tightest and stiffest in the morning right after waking up. This is because when we sleep we are not exercising or moving and the burned or grafted skin has a chance to shrink and tighten. It is very important to work on exercises every day and especially every morning after getting up. This will help stretch the tight skin out so that moving the rest of the day will be easier.