Sports Injury Rehab and Physical Therapy

Published on December 10, 2012 by: James H. Hobson

Physical Therapy for Sports Injuries

Playing sports is often a double-edged sword. On the one hand, being active in sports shapes your character to include discipline, tenacity, commitment and hard work in your mental repertoire. Playing sports also gives you physical strength, balance and overall improved health. However, being active in the sport of your choice also gives you the opportunity to injure yourself on a daily basis. While medical doctors are necessary to correctly diagnose your sports injury, physical therapists are necessary to help you manage the pain and restore strength and flexibility to the affected body part. Analyzing some common sports injuries, and the ways in which physical therapists generally treat them, will give you an idea of what to expect during your personalized recovery plan.

Common Sports Injuries Requiring Physical Therapy

Ankle Sprains

According to the American College of Sports Medicine, ankle sprains account for almost half of all reported sports injuries. The ACSM adds that these types of sports injuries generally arise from the inward rolling, or inversion, of your ankle. Resting and short yet frequent ice treatments are usually recommended for the first day or two. Then, your physical therapist will devise a personalized plan of action that usually includes balance training exercises, range of motion exercises, sport and/or job-specific rehabilitation training, and ankle muscle strengthening exercises.

Shoulder Injuries

When you experience shoulder injuries arising from playing sports such as football or baseball, expect your physical therapist to use a device called a goniometer to measure the strength and range of motion of your injured shoulder. He or she will then prescribe range of motion and strength training exercises, and cold therapy treatments to help you recover. Your physical therapist might also use a TENS, or electrical stimulation device, to help you better manage your pain throughout the ordeal. A TENS device is an instrument that uses electrodes to send electrical impulses into the nerves that are alerting your brain of pain in those areas of your body. The TENS device relaxes muscle spasms and temporarily stops nerve pain over the affected area.

Neck Injuries

Physical therapists generally use a variety of treatments to help sports-derived neck injuries, such as falling while skiing. In addition to having you perform exercises to strengthen your neck muscles, your PT might also have you use alternating hot and cold treatments on your neck. He or she might also put your neck in a neck traction device, which expands the openings between each of your cervical vertebrae. This relieves the pressure off of your neck, which in turn reduces your pain.

Strained Back

Sports injuries resulting in strained back muscles require your physical therapist to incorporate a variety of techniques to help you recover from the injury, and avoid further strain. For example, your PT might put together an individualized plan of action that includes spinal manipulation, flexibility and strengthen exercises, and heat and cold therapy. He or she will most likely show you proper sitting, bending, and lifting techniques that correspond to your particular sport, to help you avoid further aggravating your strained back, or re-straining your back at a later date.

Muscle Spasms

Your PT will utilize a variety of exercises to help you recover from muscle spasms you experience while playing sports. Usually, your PT will have your begin all of your treatments on the TENS device to help decrease the muscle spasm pain. The, your physical therapist will help you perform area-specific exercises to help you stretch and strengthen the affected muscles.

Tennis Elbow Injuries

In addition to utilizing the TENS machine, your physical therapist will massage your elbow to reduce pain, stimulate muscle and tendon healing, and increase the blood circulation around your elbow. He or she will also prescribe exercises to help strengthen and stretch the tendons and muscles within your elbow. The physical therapist will also most likely encourage you to alter your swing to avoid repeatedly having to undergo tennis elbow treatments.