Sports Injuries Recover Faster With Physical Therapy
San Antonio weather allows for a wide variety of sports to be played all year long. Injuries are a part of any sport, although each sport will have a tendency towards certain types of injuries. Soccer players get more ankle and knee injuries. Baseball and softball players tend towards shoulder problems. Golf and tennis players often develop elbow and wrist injuries.
Regardless of the type of injury, physical therapy can often play an important role in the athlete’s recovery. The basic components of sports injury treatment are usually the same regardless of the type and location of the injury:
- Control of inflammation
- Protection of the injured area to prevent further injury
- Once the inflammatory stage has passed, mobilization, stabilization, and rehabilitation of injured structures takes place
Physical therapists most commonly control inflammation by means of cold packs and electrical stimulation. These are usually used frequently in the first week or two following an injury.
Protection of the injured area may be achieved through various means, including the application of tape, pre-made braces, air casts, slings, wraps, and indirectly through the use of crutches or other supportive aids. In the initial stages of an injury, damaged tissue is vulnerable to further injury, so supporting and protecting the injured tissue is important to keep things from getting worse and allowing healing to begin.
Protection of injured areas may continue for some time even after the main symptoms are gone, because the stresses that athletes place on their bodies can cause re-injury if the damaged tissues are not supported. Braces and special taping methods like kinesiotaping may be used for this purpose.
Once the initial inflammatory stage of an injury has passed, the real importance of physical therapy is just beginning. It is important to restore normal mobility to injured joints and surrounding tissues and to strengthen muscles to provide stability and support. A good physical therapist knows how to push his or her patients just enough so that they make progress without overdoing and causing an exacerbation of symptoms.
Depending on the type and severity of the original injury, some form of ongoing preventive therapy may be needed. In such cases, physical therapists prepare patients for discharge by instructing them in home exercise and self-treatment methods and make sure that the patient knows what to do to prevent future problems.
