Sports Injury Rehab: Do’s and Don’ts

It is important to know when to rest and when to build up aspects of your fitness when recovering from a sports injury. Your injury must fully recover before you can resume your physical activities. 

Sports injuries are no fun. Besides, treatment and therapeutic exercises may be harder. That can cause you to succumb to the social stresses of being active or productive again and cut corners. That may result in you doing inappropriate workouts or body movements and disregarding your prescribed treatments altogether.

Here are a few sports injury rehab do’s and don’ts to make your recovery as effective as possible.

Do:

The RICE Method
 

• Rest - Resting is the most important way to start your recovery journey. Your injury will be frail and vulnerable to further damage, particularly in the first few hours. Avoid moving around much to help your injury heal.

• Ice - Applying ice to your injury within the first two or three days can help ease pain and swelling in the injured area. Wrap the ice in a thin towel or cloth before placing it on the injury to prevent frostbites.

• Compress - Wrapping an elastic compress firmly around your injury can help reduce swelling by stopping fluid accumulation. It can also soothe the pain by providing support and keeping the injured area fairly immobile to limit movement.

• Elevate - Hold up your injured part to your heart level. That can help rest the injury and minimize swelling. Use a cushion or pillow to prop up the injury above your heart if it is in your hip or buttock area.  

Check in With Your Sports Injury Rehab Therapist Regularly

Treatment methods and recovery processes vary based on the type and severity of the injury. Seeing your therapist frequently will help ensure that your treatment plan works and your injury is getting better.

Don’t:

Try to Cure the Injury Your Way

A search on the internet will bring you countless articles, blogs, and videos full of health advice. The information could provide a more general understanding of your injury or mess up your recovery if the advice is faulty or unverified.

You may worsen your injury or set yourself up for new wounds and a longer recovery period. Ask for medical advice from your therapist or doctor to help you choose suitable exercises. Do not jeopardize your health and well-being by only following suggestions from internet platforms. 

Push Yourself Too Hard to Recover

According to experts, your rehab period should be two times longer than the time you spent off the field due to the injury. Say, for example, you have not played for a week because of a knee or shoulder injury. Consider taking two weeks to recover and return to where you were initially. Pushing yourself too hard will only aggravate the problem. You could stretch a torn or pulled muscle, causing unnecessary stiffness.

Skip Your Follow-up Visits With Your Physical Therapist

Plan to attend follow-up visits with your doctor when recovering from a sports injury. The checkups evaluate your progress and help ensure that the treatment works. Your therapist can examine your progress and modify your treatment plan, if necessary, to improve your odds of fully healing. You want a pleasant, slow return to doing what you love once your doctor gives you the go-ahead.

For more on sports injury, call Action Potential - Sports and Neurological Rehab at 512-991-0038 or 512-883-4036 for our offices in Austin, TX.