Tissue Injury, Healing, And Pain Practice Test

During the proliferative (reparative) phase the wound is rebuilt. Fibroblasts migrate into the injury site and lay down collagen and other extracellular matrix, providing the scaffold for new tissue. At the same time, new blood vessels form through angiogenesis to restore blood flow and supply nutrients, supporting the growth of granulation tissue. Epithelial cells also begin to cover the wound. This combination of fibroblast activity, angiogenesis, and collagen deposition is precisely how tissue is rebuilt after the initial injury. The other processes occur at different times: debris clearance and immune cell activity characterize the inflammatory response that precedes this phase, and scar maturation with realignment and remodeling of collagen happens later. Nerve regeneration can occur but is not the defining activity of the proliferative phase.