No athlete is truly tested until they have stared an injury in the face and come out on the other side strong. Sports rehabilitation is an answer to the prayers of those athletes who break down after injury be it any sport they play. Sports Rehabilitation helps people suffering from pain, injury or illness involving the musculoskeletal system. It supports people of all ages to manage their health and fitness, overcome from and prevent injury and lessen pain using exercise, movement, and guidebook based remedial interventions.
The primary focus of sports rehabilitation?
Sports Rehabilitation has a strong focus on:-
- Biomechanics
- Exercise rehabilitation
- Returning patients to high levels of function
What do sports rehabilitators deal with?
Few things in which sports rehabilitators have a major intervention in are problems like:-
- Back pain – lower back pain, sciatica, disc problems and more
- Pains and sprains in ankles, knees, shoulder groin, hip, etc
- Post-operative rehabilitation of spinal, shoulder and knee surgery, joint replacements
- Total knee replacement rehabilitation
- Achilles Tendinopathy
- Cruciate ligament rehabilitation
- Tennis elbow
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Bursitis
- Injuries with an uncertain diagnosis
- Post spinal surgery
- Post-trauma, including fractures
- Chronic pain
- Repetitive strain injuries
- Arthritis
What does treatment via sports rehabilitation include?
Treatment will include evidence-based remedial interventions and running with the plan after being observed and modified where demanded. This could combine exercise rehabilitation, graded activity, manual therapy, workplace assessment, and modification. Also, massage, taping/bracing, and electrotherapy.
Sport Rehabilitators will apply a total approach, analyzing the whole requirements of the individual to provide optimal recovery and putting the patient at the focus of their own care.
Mode of action by sports rehabilitators during rehabilitation:-
An introductory consultation will give an in-depth interview and physical evaluation to recognize an appropriate diagnosis, any predisposing determinants to injury and any other health-related ailments. They will then use clinical reasoning to tailor a cure plan to return you to maximum function and physical movement.
You can expect your Sports Rehabilitator to integrate advice, education, and rehabilitation into all aspects of your life. Sport Rehabilitators are prepared to accurately record and guard all personal information, including sensitive data related to their condition as part of the therapy session.
Phases of sports rehabilitation
For good sports rehabilitation, the motto is to “know the sport, review the literature.” Once defined, the rehabilitation is broken into different stages, and the athlete progresses through them till he is fit to return to play. The team rehabilitators use pharmacological or medical interventions as appropriate at each stage of the rehabilitation process.
Acute phase:- Promote tissue healing and avoid deconditioning. Rehabilitators have been employing a protocol inclusive of protection, rest, ice, compression, and elevation (P.R.I.C.E). Moreover, with the aim of avoiding further tissue damage, reducing associated pain, edema, and attempt to promote the healing process.
- Reconditioning Phase: –It is highly important to continuously monitor the athlete’s rehabilitation to ensure optimum loading of injured and recovering tissues through an individualized approach according to the sport and its physical demand. Due to the physical demands of high-level sports, graded load progression plays a significant role in a successful sports injury rehabilitation program.
- Return to sport:- Once the rehabilitation criteria for the reconditioning phase have been fulfilled, a decision to return to sports needs to be taken. As a clinician and a member of the rehabilitation team, it is important to understand that the decision of returning to the sport in isolation never occurs.
Post rehabilitation tip
One must not ignore nutritional supplementation and psychological intervention. They have a major role in getting the athlete back to full fitness, along with an injury-free return to sports at the same level before injury.