With Fall sports in full swing, now is the perfect time to talk about sports injuries. More specifically, how they can be avoided.
Although injuries can look very different from sport to sport, there are more similarities between them than you might think. There are many ways to classify and injury, for sports related injuries it can be helpful to think about them as an acute, overuse, or chronic injury.
Acute injuries can be thought of as an injury to a part of the body that was otherwise healthy before the trauma. Overuse can simply mean that an athlete has been pushing their body past its physical limits too much. And chronic injuries start out as acute injuries and are never given the rest and rehabilitation they need to fully heal.
The good news? All three of these injuries can be avoided and rehabilitated!
Can Injuries Be Avoided?
Unfortunately, anyone that has any history of playing sports knows that there are some injuries that are unavoidable. Some movements happen so fast that acute injuries can happen instantly without giving the athlete time to react. In these cases, not much can be done to avoid the injury.
However, it might surprise many people to know that there are a great many injuries that can be minimized or even avoided if we know what to look for.
The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago…the second-best time is now. – Unknown
Although at face value this quote gives us simple and sound knowledge regarding best practices for becoming a casual arborist, the deeper meaning is that although doing something in the past would have been better, taking care of it right now is still much better than continuing to put it off.
To bring this all the way back to sports injuries, it will not surprise many of you to know that the best way to avoid injuries during the season is to get ahead of them before the season even starts. However, getting in during the season to take care of a nagging injury, or to be screened for any potential movement and strength dysfunctions, is still much better than not getting in at all!
The best way to do this? Getting in to see your local physical therapist – the benefits of which cannot be overstated.
At Optimum Therapies, we have seen incredible success rehabbing athletes back to full participation in their sport. Whether that was an athlete in youth sports, a high school or collegiate athlete pushing their limits, or the adult still participating recreationally or competitively.
When an athlete comes into the clinic, physical therapists can look for muscle weaknesses, range of motion deficits, and movement pattern dysfunctions to determine if the athlete is more susceptible to injury. This type of screen can also be done mid-season to give the athlete some small tweaks to their training schedule to minimize the potential for injury.
It can also be important for an athlete struggling with an overuse or chronic injury to come into the clinic before it gets out of control.
Many times, athletes are worried that a therapist will tell them they must completely stop participating in their sport. This can cause them to put off coming in to see one of our professionals. Although this may sometimes be our advice depending on the injury, many times there are therapeutic treatments that can be implemented, and small tweaks to the amount they are participating that can help them get over their injury while still participating throughout the season.
If an athlete waits too long to come into the clinic to have their injury addressed, the options for rehabilitation become much more limited and time off from the sport may be the only option.
Rehabbing Confidently back to Full-Participation
Unfortunately, we all run the risk of injury while participating in sports, at any level. The good news is that it’s possible to get back to 100% after an injury, and even beyond! Whether it’s rehabbing a new injury, a chronic injury, or after surgery, we tailor treatment to everyone’s specific needs. No two athletes or injuries are the same, so why should their treatment be?
So, whether you enjoy casually playing a sport on the weekend with friends or are trying to gain an edge on your competition for the upcoming season, our physical therapists at Optimum Therapies are here to help you avoid an injury and keep you playing at 110%. We would love the opportunity to help maximize your health and performance while keeping you as healthy as possible throughout the season and life!