In the world of sports you can almost bet that a player will become injured at one point or another. Because of the nature of sports, often times a player is injured more than once, and in a variety of ways.
The most common forms of sports injuries are sprains and strains, and the most commonly injured places are the joints of the body; mainly, the ankles and knees. This is because it is the ankles and the knees that carry most of the body’s workload, supporting it as it maneuvers about. Having a strong, agile body decreases the chance of injury, but it’s not a definite.
The reality is that the only definitive way to avoid sports injuries is to not play sports. Obviously that’s not a viable, or desired, option. That said, the issue becomes one of determining the best ways to recover from a sports injury.
There are droves of traditional rehabilitation techniques, and methods a sports therapist or a doctor may recommend to an injured athlete; all of them proven effective. Still, there are other ways of recovering from a sports injury that are just as effective, although not so traditional. Here are two rehabilitation techniques your doctor may not have recommended.
When rehabilitation begins there are two main objectives. The first is to regain flexibility of the joint. The second is to regain strength in the joint. Obtaining pre-injury strength and flexibility would be the optimal goal. This level of recovery is possible if the injury is caught in time. The earlier the injury is addressed, the better the chance of a full recovery. This is one reason that playing through an injury is never a wise thing to do.
The initial rehabilitation techniques are basically universal. First, the swelling must be addressed. The best ways to do this is to ice, and immobilize, the injury. Any form of physical rehabilitation shouldn’t begin until the swelling has subsided and the area is relatively pain-free. Once this point has been reached, rehabilitation (In whatever form) may begin.
There are two forms of rehabilitation that aren’t so common but quite effective for rehabilitation purposes; yoga and Pilates. Both of these techniques are low impact but highly effective in regaining flexibility and strength.
Muscles in the human body do not work independently, but rather in groups; each helping to support the movement of the other muscles in the group. It should go without saying that if you cease to use a particular muscle, the other muscles of the group will be affected; albeit not emphatically. However, regaining strength and flexibility of the muscle does entail the flexibleness and strength of all the muscles in the group. Pilates and yoga are two forms of low-impact exercises that can work the entire muscle group.
These are two great techniques that can be used in the early stages of rehabilitation. Of course, you need to consult with your doctor before starting any rehabilitation efforts. However, just because he or she didn’t recommend Pilates or yoga doesn’t mean they aren’t a great place to begin your rehabilitation efforts.
Trudi Buck blogs about how to choose among online MRI programs.