Get Back to Your Game Quicker with Physical Therapy Treatments
Whether you’re a professional athlete or a weekend warrior, it is important to stay safe while performing your sport. Any injury sustained during physical activity can be categorized as a sports injury – and at Cornerstone Physical Therapy, we provide sports injury rehabilitation to get you off the sidelines and back in the game!
How do sports injuries occur?
The term “sports injury” is all-encompassing, including any type of injury that occurs while performing athletic activity. It can happen just the same by lifting heavy weights at the gym or running in ill-fitted shoes, as it can by swinging a bat too aggressively or rolling your ankle on the soccer field.
One of the most important aspects of sports injury rehabilitation is treating it as soon as possible. Your treatment plan and duration of recovery will vary depending on how severe the injury is, your health history, and whether or not the injury requires surgical intervention.
Common sports injuries
There are a number of different injuries that can occur while performing an athletic activity; however, the most common forms of sports injury include:
- Shin splints. The medical term for shin splints is “medial tibial stress syndrome,” referring to pain that is felt in the shin bones. This pain is typically caused by stress placed on the shinbone and the connective tissues surrounding it. Shin splints are painful and often debilitating; however, they can be avoided by wearing proper footwear, warming up before exercise, and strengthening your core and leg muscles.
- Strain or “pulled muscle.” A strain also referred to as a “pulled muscle,” occurs when a tendon connecting your muscle to bone is stretched beyond its limits. Once the tendon is overstretched, it is more likely that it will be strained once again.
- Sprain. A sprain is similar to a strain, but they are not quite the same. A sprain occurs when a ligament connecting one bone to another is stretched beyond its limits. Much like a strain, once a sprain occurs and a ligament is overstretched, it is more likely that it’ll occur again.
- Knee injuries. Your knee is the most complex joint in your body and is, therefore, one of the most commonly injured body parts. Knee injuries may include dull aches that run from your hip to your knee, repetitive use injuries making it difficult to move the knee, or more severe injuries such as an ACL tear.
Get back in the game today!
Our physical therapists are movement experts who can help you reach your physical goals through sports injury rehabilitation. They will prescribe an individualized treatment plan for you based on your specific needs, in order to help get you back in the game as quickly as possible. This will be done after first performing a diagnostic exam, and your physical therapist may also review diagnostic tests, such as X-rays, MRI, or ultrasound. Treatment plans will take into account the nature of your injury, your fitness level, and your lifestyle.
Your sports injury rehabilitation plan will likely include manual therapy to increase your range of motion and reduce scar tissue, stretches to improve balance and mobility, and strengthening exercises to enhance the injured area, as well as its surrounding areas. These are all done to help you recover after your sports injury and to prevent further injuries from occurring in the future.
So, have you recently sustained a sports injury? In the case that you have, don’t hesitate to contact Cornerstone Physical Therapy. We’ll help you recover as quickly as possible so you can return to the sport you love!