Healing Like A Pro With Physical Therapy

When you work hard and play hard, sports injuries can be inevitable. The road to recovery can take a long time depending on the injury, your age and your recovery plan. Letting things heal up on their own might be okay in some cases, but most of the time a little help can go a long way.

Professional athletes put their bodies to the test on a daily basis and will swear by the help and healing that you can get from proper physical therapy. Most professional sports organizations have a team of physical therapists to help their athletes stay in top form. There is no reason why you shouldn’t be treating your own injuries with the same amount of care.

For injuries from twisted ankles to pulled muscles, your healing time can be largely dependant on the amount of physical therapy that you go through during your rehabilitation. There are plenty of reasons why therapy is an important aspect of getting you back in the game in less time than you think.

Proper Assessment

Your body will always let you know when it has been damaged. The pain and swelling that comes with most sports injuries can be hard to ignore. Getting a professional opinion is your first step to recovery. Your body will automatically protect a damaged muscle or joint enough that it can sometimes be tough to pinpoint the injury itself. For example, you may feel strain in your lower back but the injury could actually be in your hip joint. Talk to a doctor or therapist to get their opinion about the nature of your injury to help you start your recovery plan on the right foot.

Avoid Secondary Strain

When you are sore from an injury, it’s common to start to shift your weight to accommodate the discomfort or lack of motion. This can cause unnecessary strain on other joints and muscles that can complicate your injury. With proper identification and targeted physical therapy sessions you can avoid secondary injuries occurring as you recover.

Strengthening

When an injury occurs it creates a weakened area in the body. To avoid future problems or recurring injury, a large part of physical therapy will be strengthening the point of injury. This can help you build up damaged tissues as well as safeguard against future injuries to the same site. For example, when you have a knee injury it can be easy to reinjure the area when you haven’t built up enough strength to maintain natural motion. Creating a weak spot on the body can be hazardous and lead to other injuries down the line.

Regain Full Function

Without the training benefits of physical therapy, there is a good chance that you could lose a small amount of mobility at the site of your injury. Therapy will push you to stretch and recondition your muscles or joints until you have a maximum range of movement. When you heal on your own it can be tough to stay disciplined enough to push past the discomfort and get back to where you should be for a successful recovery.