Which Therapies Are Recommended For A Sports Injury?
Athletes are often injured during their time of play. There can be many different types of injuries depending on what sport they are playing and the type of injury they have sustained. Many athletes will not know how to treat these injuries properly, which is why it’s important to get help from a professional. The following discusses some therapies that may be recommended for your sports injury.
Who Is At Risk For Sports Injury?
Sports injuries happen frequently, even to adults who may be out of shape. If you aren’t in good physical condition or haven’t properly warmed up before exercising, it’s easy for an injury to occur due to a lack of preparation and knowledge about proper exercise methods.
If you’re not active, be careful to warm up correctly before exercising. Participating in contact sports can also increase your risk of injury because there are always risks involved with these activities that need special attention and care when participating. Keeping this in mind will help you:
- Prevent injuries and stay in shape
- Avoid the risk of injury with the correct exercise plan
- Get back into contact sports safely and confidently
What Are The Most Common Types Of Sports Injuries?
Depending on the type of sports injury, symptoms and consequences vary. The most common types include:
- Sprains
- Strains
- Knee injuries
- Swollen muscles
- Rupture of the Achilles tendon
- Fractures
- Dislocations
Therapies For A Sports Injury
PRICE THERAPY
Minor injuries, such as small sprains and strains, may typically be treated at home for two or three days utilizing PRICE treatment.
PRICE stands for:
- Protect the injured region by using support.
- Rest from regular physical activity and avoid exercising. If you can’t put weight on your ankle or knee, crutches or a walking stick may be useful. If you’ve hurt your shoulder, a sling may be useful.
- Ice the affected area every two to three hours, apply an ice pack to the afflicted region for 15-20 minutes. A package of frozen peas or anything similar would suffice. Wrap the ice pack in a towel to keep it from touching your skin and causing an ice burn.
- Compression – use elastic compression bandages during the day to keep swelling to a minimum.
- Elevate the injured body part above the level of your heart when feasible. This may also aid in the reduction of edema.
Limit Mobility
By limiting mobility, you might be able to avoid additional injury. A sling or splint can help with muscle spasms and edema while discomfort is reduced by immobility. If the injured joint starts hurting when moving it, do not immobilize it for long periods of time!
Physical Therapy
Physical therapy is a specialized therapy that can help patients recuperating from long-term injury. The process uses massage, manipulation, and exercises to increase the range of motion in the surrounding muscles and restore normal function in damaged body parts. A physical therapist may also devise an exercise regimen that will strengthen the afflicted area as well as minimize chances for another occurrence of said injuries.
Surgery
Sports injuries are often not as serious as they may seem, but others can require surgery. Sometimes bones need to be set or put back in place without the use of invasive procedures. But for more severe cases where wounds have gone untreated and caused other issues, required surgeries could involve putting screws into a damaged knee ligament to repair it quickly with little risk involved.
All of the treatments we’ve discussed can help speed up recovery from a sports injury. If you have any questions about which treatment is best for your specific situation, give us a call. We would love to talk with you and figure out how we can support your healing process!
Are You Looking for Relief for Your Sports Injury?
Pace Physical Therapy in San Jose, California specializes in non-surgical relief and recovery therapies for Sports Injuries. Our physical therapists in San Jose, CA are movement professionals who can help you heal easily and accomplish your physical goals. To get back into the game as soon as possible after an injury, they will recommend a personalized treatment plan for you based on medical examination results (such as X-rays), diagnostic tests (MRI or ultrasound), the severity of the injury, the extent of health issues/concerns to consider when developing this plan, lifestyle considerations that may impact recovery progress. To help you heal faster, at Pace Physical Therapy San Jose, CA appointments are available to aid in the recovery of your sports injury. Our staff is experienced and professional with years of training on how best to treat various types of injuries among athletes so that they’re able to return back into their sport as soon as possible. We strive every day to provide excellent service for all our patients because we understand it can be frustrating not being able to do what you love most due to an injury keeping us off the field or court! Contact us today to schedule your appointment!
