True Rehab: Why You're Still Injured 3 Years Later

If you're still worried about an old injury, you were never actually rehabbed.

That's not motivation-speak. That's the literal definition.

Brady Volmering has worked with professional athletes for over a decade. He's seen pitchers throw harder after labrum surgery than before it. He's also seen guys who are "recovered" but still won't trust their bodies three years later.

The difference? One group was actually rehabbed. The other just completed a protocol.

The Definition Problem

Here's what most people miss about rehabilitation:

"Rehab means that I'm at least at the point that I was at before, if not better. If the person three years after the injury isn't to that point, they're not actually rehabbed."

Read that again. Rehab isn't completing a 12-week program. It's not getting cleared by your doctor. It's not "feeling okay most days."

Real rehab = baseline or better.

If you're still compensating, still worried, still favoring that side—you're not rehabbed. You just finished a protocol.

Why Most Rehab Fails

Brady sees it constantly: athletes two or three years post-surgery who are still inhibited by their injury. Why?

"The rehab specialist or the person that's working with the person either doesn't have the time, doesn't care enough to put it into them, or they're just afraid of hurting them again."

Most rehab follows a pre-written sheet from 2001. Check the boxes. Do the exercises. Clear the patient. Move on.

But that's not rehabilitation. That's liability protection.

The goal shouldn't be "don't get sued." The goal should be: this person knows—not hopes, knows—they're ready.

What Real Rehab Looks Like

Brady had a pitcher come to him after labrum surgery. For those unfamiliar, the labrum is the tissue that holds your shoulder together. Tearing it is a career-threatening injury.

Standard timeline? 9-12 months minimum before throwing at full intensity.

This athlete was throwing 100% off the mound at six months.

At seven months? He hit 99 mph—the hardest he'd ever thrown in his life.

"That is actual rehab. Not every athlete will progress that fast. But the body presents as being able to progress that fast. We weren't trying to arbitrarily push faster than he's ready for."

The key wasn't rushing. It was listening. When the body showed it was ready to progress, they progressed. When it needed more time, they took more time.

The Mental Component

Here's what nobody talks about: rehab isn't just physical.

"I will not be able to go to a physical level that I'm not willing to mentally go to. I'll also not be able to go to a physical level that I'm not willing to emotionally go to."

If someone walks across the street and gets hit by a car, their body heals. But the next time they approach that crosswalk, everything tenses up. Their breath shortens. Their mind screams danger.

That's not weakness. That's unresolved trauma living in the nervous system.

Real rehab addresses this directly:

"We want to put them through enough training and enough stimulus at a level that they understand—because they've experienced it—I am 100% good to go and it does not matter."

The goal isn't convincing someone they're healed. It's putting them through enough progressive challenge that they know it, deep in their bones.

The Test

How do you know if you're actually rehabbed?

Simple: Can you do everything you could before, without a second thought?

Not "I can do it if I'm careful." Not "It feels okay most of the time." Not "I've learned to work around it."

Full function. Full confidence. No asterisks.

If that's not you, you're not done. The protocol might be complete, but the rehab isn't.

The Path Forward

Here's what to do if you're stuck in that "recovered but not really" zone:

1. Stop protecting it. Careful becomes permanent. Start progressively loading that area again.

2. Find stimulus that challenges it. Not reckless—progressive. If your shoulder is the issue, find movements that demand shoulder stability under stress.

3. Build evidence. Your nervous system needs proof. Create experiences where you load the area successfully, again and again, until doubt dissolves.

4. Track your progress. You need to see the trajectory. Are you doing more this week than last? That data builds confidence.

The body wants to heal. The nervous system wants to trust again. But it needs the right inputs—not a sheet of paper from 2001.

Brady Volmering runs DAC Performance and Health, working with professional and college athletes on training and rehabilitation. Follow him on Instagram @dacperformanceandhealth.

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