Many athletes and those who enjoy playing sports seek the help of a physiotherapist when they experience an injury.
Treatment plans help with recovery from injuries in sports. They reduce pain and swelling by building strength and flexibility in the injured body part.
However, physiotherapy can also be used to prevent the risk of acute injuries, especially if you use the same muscles to perform repetitive tasks during physical activities.
They can also address chronic injuries and overuse injuries.
Before we look at how physiotherapy can help prevent injury, let’s look at some common sports injuries:
Common Types of Sports Injuries
Injuries can easily happen during athletic activities, especially if you overtrain, use improper techniques, or forget to warm up beforehand.
All of these factors can increase the risk of injuries. Common sports injuries include:
Pulled Muscles
Pulled muscles or muscle strains happen when a muscle overstretches and tears. This can cause pain, swelling, tenderness, and stiffness.
Shin Splints
Shin splints are repetitive use injuries that cause throbbing or stabbing pains inside of the lower leg due to inflamed muscles and tendons around the tibia.
Sprained Ankle
Sprained ankles occur when the ligaments that support the joint become overstretched and can range from mild to severe.
Tennis Elbow
Tennis elbow is another repetitive use injury that typically happens while playing racket sports (hence the name) and occurs when the tendons on the outside of the elbow become inflamed due to small tears.
Runner’s Knee
This condition is caused by tendons, joint linings, and other soft tissue of the knee becoming irritated due to overuse. It can also cause cracking and popping in the knee.
Achilles Tendonitis
The Achilles tendon is located in the lower back of the leg just above the heel and can become swollen and stiff due to inflammation.
Lower Back Injuries
Your lower back is prone to injury if you overuse it, and rigorous physical activity and heavy lifting can put a strain on these muscles and cause pain, discomfort, and reduced movement.
Physiotherapy’s Role To Avoid Sports Injuries
Physiotherapy can help prevent sports injuries by implementing a sports injury prevention strategy.
Your physiotherapist will examine your lifestyle, medical history, and any previous sports injuries to come up with the perfect plan for you.
They can identify common injuries based on the activities you participate in and make recommendations to help you avoid sports injuries.
Physiotherapy involves a wide variety of treatments. Your physiotherapy plan may include the following:
Education
Physiotherapists focus on educating patients about injuries and underlying causes.
They can recommend proper training exercises, therapies, or treatments to prevent injuries from occurring.
Your physiotherapist will also guide you through the various measures you can take to avoid common sports injuries.
Physiotherapists are highly educated professionals and are focused on treating your body as a whole rather than solely paying attention to individual parts.
Therefore, they will also offer advice about ways to improve your overall well-being, which may include addressing poor training practices or improving your posture.
Exercise
Exercise is a key part of physiotherapy, and your physiotherapist will help you focus on different exercises to strengthen your muscles, tendons, and soft tissue. This will help you improve your balance and mobility.
These exercises may include:
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Strength training exercises designed to improve strength in specific parts of your body.
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Exercises that move your whole body, such as walking, to improve your mobility.
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Exercises to help you maintain your current level of physical activity.
If you have experienced previous injuries, your physiotherapist will address these in your exercise routine as well.
Manual Therapies
The amazing thing about physiotherapy is that it includes a variety of manual therapies to help you reach your physical goals and prevent sports injuries.
Physiotherapy sessions can include treatments such as acupuncture, dry needling, taping, cupping, and more.
Massage therapy is another technique often used by physiotherapists to stimulate muscles, soft tissue, and nerves to increase your range of movement and decrease tightness that can lead to injuries.
Your physiotherapy plan may also include chiropractic therapy that can address spinal misalignment, enhance your range of motion, and boost your energy.
Posture
You may think that posture is only important when you’re sitting, but having proper posture while standing and moving can help you avoid pain and injuries.
Unchecked posture can lead to overextended knees, altered shoulder joint mechanics, and a tight thoracic spine. This can all affect the way you move and cause an injury.
Posture correction can be included in your preventative plan. Your physiotherapist can use a manual therapy approach to improve your posture and alignment.
They will also teach you how to improve your posture in your daily life.
Injury Prevention Tips
Along with a comprehensive physiotherapy treatment plan, there are other ways that you can prevent sports injuries. Here are some tips for reducing the risk of injury:
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Stretch. Doing dynamic stretches before you play any sports will help you maintain flexibility and warm up your muscles. Cold muscles are prone to injury.
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Strengthen Your Core. A strong core provides stability and balance, which will help you avoid injury.
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Use Proper Techniques. Knowing how to play the sport you’re engaged in is key to protecting yourself from a common sports injury.
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Wear Proper Gear. Make sure you are using any required safety equipment required for your sport. You should also wear supportive gear such as proper shoes, knee braces, elbow braces, etc.
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Rest. Be sure to rest and avoid overusing your muscles. Overuse will increase your chances of sustaining an injury. Take a break when you need to give yourself a day or two to recover.
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Proper Healing. If you are suffering from a current injury, or have had a previous sports injury, make sure you are fully healed before you continue to play.
Prevent Sports Injuries With Physiotherapy
There’s no need to reduce your sports participation because of the chance of injury!
At Atlas, our team of dedicated and expert physiotherapists is ready to come up with a unique preventative treatment plan to help you stay in the game.
We can help you avoid all types of injuries.
