The adage that prevention is better than cure is certainly true when it comes to all types of sports injuries. This can be done by being physically and mentally prepared no matter what the sport. It can also mean having the right coaches or personal trainers to ensure you follow the correct training programmes and techniques that are suitable to you and your sport.
No matter how careful and diligent sports players and athletes are with their preparation, there will be times however when you experience a sports injury, so knowing what to do when that happens will help you accelerate your recovery. Here a five important sports injury rehabilitation tips to help you:
Seek Treatment Immediately
Seeking the right treatment at the right time will ensure you’ll give yourself the best chance to recover. For example when you sustain a pulled or strained muscle injury, you should immediately stop what you are doing and commence the PRICE Method of recovery. PRICE stands for Protection, Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation, and this can be done at home or started immediately where the injury occurred
Stopping what you are doing simply means, you will be protecting the injury. Rest ensures no further damage occurs and allows for healing to start immediately. Applying ice to the injury reduces bleeding into the muscle tissues as well as decreasing pain. Compression involves strapping the injury tightly (but not not to tight preventing circulation) using an elasticated bandage. This helps reduce the swelling as well as adding a support to the injury. By elevating the injury (above the level of your heart if possible), you are using gravity as a way of reducing blood flow to the injured area and in turn reduces swelling.
Assess the Injury
After using the RICE method above, the next step is to assess your injury to ascertain if you need to seek further professional medical help and advice from a doctor or physiotherapist . You know your body so consider the pain and discomfort you’re experiencing and whether you feel there’s something more serious going on.
Use Professional Sports Injury Rehabilitation Services
It can take time to recover from sports injuries; however, using the right sports injury rehabilitation service will help you on that journey. From Biomechanical Analysis, neuromuscular control, strength development and sports massage- these are all key components within the injury rehabilitation process that a professional expert injury rehabilitator can provide .
Acknowledge Timescales
Healing times do vary from person to person, however, knowing the average time for recovery will help you manage your expectations. For example, if a sprained ankle is minor, it could take a little as a week to 10 days to recover, whereas a severe sprain could take up to 6 weeks. The important thing to remember is to always follow professional medical advice and avoid rushing back too soon.
Take Baby Steps
You don’t want to return to sports too soon causing further injury and damage. Start off slow, steady and gradual. Opt for low impact exercises, and if you still experience any pain, stop, rest and seek further medical advice. Only increase your intensity when you’re pain free and feel ready and up to it.
The above are just some tips to help you accelerate your recovery should you experience a sports injury. Of course, the main aim is to prevent an injury in the first place. This means paying close attention to ways to avoid such injuries. including warming up, and cooling down correctly. If however you’ve sustained an injury, minor or severe, and you’re looking for professional injury rehabilitation specialists then don’t hesitate to contact us. All our professional personal trainers are adept at working with all kinds of sports injuries to help you recover in the best, quickest and safest possible way