Back in the Game: Guidelines for Safe Return to Sports After Injury
Most athletes agree that an injury is devastating. It takes you out of training and can make you feel you’ve undone years of progress. Worse of all, it prevents you from playing the sport you love! But more often than not, you will be able to return to your sport after an injury–it’s just important to follow safe return to sports guidelines.
But what exactly constitutes those safe return to sports guidelines? At Schuster Physical Therapy, our team of physical therapists has plenty of experience helping athletes get back in the game, and we can help you understand what you need to do to ease back into things without risking reinjury.
From rehabilitation to a personalized return-to-sport schedule, our goal is to get you back on the field, on the court, or in the ring as quickly and safely as possible. To learn more about how we help injured athletes in Jefferson and Sparta, call us to schedule an appointment today!
What Are Some of the Most Common Sports Injuries?
Most athletes will experience a sports-related injury at some point, although not all will necessarily have a big, dramatic trauma like a broken bone. In fact, many sports injuries are actually chronic injuries, meaning they develop over time, and so may sneak up on you.
Those sudden injuries, such as an ankle sprain or twisted knee, are called acute injuries. However, sometimes a sudden injury isn’t as sudden as it may seem. The damage of an underlying chronic injury could set you up for a big acute injury, so it’s important not to ignore any aches or pains.
That said, here are a few of the more common sports injuries:
- Sprains: This injury results from a damaged ligament, the tissue that connects your bones together. For athletes, they’re generally caused by sudden trauma and typically occur in the ankles, knees, and wrists.
- Strains: A strain results from damage to the muscles or tendons (the tissue that connects muscle to bone). It’s usually caused by twisting, pulling, or tearing the tissue. While strains can be acute, you’re more likely to develop one by repeating the same movement repeatedly (such as swinging a golf club).
- Tendinitis: This condition develops when your tendons become inflamed and, like a strain, usually results from overuse. Tennis elbow is a classic example of tendinitis.
- Fractures: A fracture is a broken bone. Most of us immediately think of acute fractures, a crack or break in the bone that occurs due to sudden major trauma. However, athletes are also at risk for stress fractures–small cracks in the bone that result from the repetitive impact of running or jumping.
A Safe Return to Sports: Important Guidelines to Consider
If there’s one guideline all injured athletes should follow, it’s this one: Seek treatment! Athletes are notorious for wanting to push through the pain, which may only lead to further injury and more prolonged rehabilitation.
If you notice any persistent pain, make an appointment with the physical therapists at Schuster Physical Therapy, even if you haven’t suffered a big, obvious injury. You’ve likely developed some sort of overuse injury. Addressing it will reduce the risk of a more dramatic injury down the road–and probably help improve your performance, too.
Here are a few more tips to keep in mind as you work through your sports injury rehabilitation:
- Start Slow and Go in Stages: Your rehabilitation will generally progress in stages. The first stage involves addressing pain, swelling, and inflammation. From there, we’ll work to improve your mobility. Next, you’ll rebuild strength, then day-to-day functionality. Only then can you begin working on sports-specific movements.
- Don’t Sneak in Extra Workouts: We get it. You have a conditioning program to maintain. Unfortunately, most athletes’ typical training sessions are too intense for someone rehabilitating after an injury. Your physical therapist can show you modified exercises to ensure you don’t lose strength and endurance while you recover.
- But Don’t Stay Sedentary, Either: At the same time, movement is crucial in injury rehabilitation, so you don’t want to use your injury as an excuse to skip working out altogether. Our therapists will provide an exercise program appropriate to your current recovery phase so that you can stay active without worry.
How to Know When You Can Safely Return To Sport
At Schuster Physical Therapy, we provide injured athletes with customized rehabilitation programs that address their specific injury, symptoms, and recovery goals. We’ll help you manage pain and improve mobility with manual therapy techniques like joint mobilization or soft tissue manipulation. Therapeutic exercise will help you restore strength, stamina, and range of motion. And education about cross-training and proper gear can help prevent future injuries.
But we know that at the end of the day, you’re most likely concerned about one thing: when you can get off the sidelines and dive back into the game.
As part of your rehabilitation program, our physical therapists will provide you with a return-to-sport program and schedule: a detailed timeline laying out when it’s safe for you to progress, challenge yourself and return to practice and competition. We’ll help you gradually ease into your sports routine with modified training, sports-specific exercises, and advice for particular movements to avoid.
These safe return to sports guidelines may feel frustrating, but in the end, they’ll help you come back as a stronger, more resilient athlete.
Want More Individual Safe Return to Sports Guidelines? Give Us a Call!
Every athlete and every injury is different. If you want to know how our team can help with your particular condition, call us to schedule an initial consultation–and get started on your rehabilitation journey today!
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