Being injured can be extremely frustrating. You may feel like you have no control over your injury or feel like it will never get better. Working with a soft tissue therapist can also be quite intimidating if you do not know what to expect. Here are some general rehab principles which will give you a better understanding about the process you and your bio sports therapist will go through with your rehab goals.
No matter what your injury is there are several components of fitness that need to be covered in your rehab. Strength, flexibility, muscular endurance, power, agility, coordination, speed, and cardiovascular endurance are all important.
As a general guideline for any injury:
Your bio sports therapist will progress you through your rehab program safely and quickly. There are 3 main stages you will go through during your rehabilitation. They include acute (when it first happens), subacute (a few days after it happens) and maintenance (weeks to months after it happens). Here are guidelines your bio sports therapist will use during these different stages.
During the acute stage of an injury the most important thing is to control swelling and allow the body to heal itself. If your injury is bad enough that you require further treatment such as surgery, bracing, or casting you will be advised to seek professional medical advice from your doctor.
The sub-acute stage of therapy is the time to work on your range of motion and strength. Your therapist will help you with a rehab plan which normally includes maintaining muscle tone using strength exercises specific to your requirements.
Your therapist will help you modify your training and help you “think outside the box” and modify various sport skills to keep you participating in your sport if possible. This will help you stay motivated to return to play, mentally prepared for play and make rehab more interesting and fun.
When your strength returns to normal, you can start to do more functional drills. For lower body injuries, this may include exercises including walking, skipping , hopping, or light jogging. For upper body injuries exercises such as light throwing or easy swinging can be done. After you progress your motion, strength, endurance, and agility, and you are tolerating functional drills, you can try higher levels of sport-specific movements with your therapist.
The goal of your rehabilitation program is to improve functional movement. The drills and exercises that are used to heal the injury can also be used to prevent it. The maintenance stage is when you continue doing functional exercises that maintain the flexibility, strength, and endurance of the muscles. Adding some simple exercises used with rehab to your normal training routine can help with preventing the old injury from coming back or new injuries happening.
Seeking help after you have injured yourself can be difficult if you do not understand the rehabilitation process. Having a general idea about the principles and stages of rehab will help you learn what to expect and help you become an active participant. When an injury happens stay positive and focused on the goals you and your therapist have put together. Allow time for your body to heal and before you know it you will be ready to compete again soon.
Contact us today to find out more about injury rehabilitation.