It’s not uncommon to pick up some bumps and bruises over the course of an athletic season. Sports are incredibly physical and take a huge toll on our bodies, and although many athletes feel better after a day of rest or targeted treatment, you may find that your pain or soreness lingers in spite of your best efforts. We understand that you don’t want to take time away from athletics so that an injury can heal, but you also don’t want the discomfort to affect your athletic ability or leave you at a heightened risk for further injury.
So what should you do if you’re dealing with a sports injury that just won’t go away? In today’s blog, we explain some of the best treatment options for lingering sports injuries.
Overcoming Lingering Athletic Injuries
Any athletic injury will be unique to the individual, so keep in mind that the following advice is just a general guideline for how you could approach overcoming your injury. With that said, many athletes dealing with a chronic or prolonged injury will benefit from pursuing one of more of the listed techniques.
- Physical Therapy– We’ll start with our bread and butter. Physical therapy can be extremely effective at helping a person overcome a lingering injury or chronic soreness that is the result of their sporting activities. Whether your pain is caused by an acute injury, an underlying muscle imbalance, repetitive stress or an issue with your mechanics and movements, we can work to hone in on the root cause of your discomfort and set you up with a treatment plan to overcome it.
- Rest– We know that no athlete ever wants to miss a game because of an injury, but sometimes you need to lose the battle so that you can win the war. If you push yourself too hard while you’re nursing an injury, there’s a much greater likelihood that you will serve to make the damage worse. Instead of pushing through the discomfort and suffering a season-ending injury, take a few days off and focus on your recovery so that you’re back to full health the next time you lace up your cleats.
- Cross Train– It’s also not uncommon for athletes who focus on one sport to develop some repetitive strain injuries because they are always testing the same muscle groups. If you’re overdeveloping some muscles and ignoring other muscle groups, you’re at a heightened risk for injury. Instead of always pursuing the same activities, vary your workouts and your exercise programs so that different muscles are tested, and more importantly, certain muscle groups get some relief from regular stress. Cross training can make it easier for your body to heal because you’re not always demanding a lot from the same muscle groups. Talk with your physical therapist if you need help developing a sport-specific crosstraining program.
- Change Up Your Treatment– If your current treatment program isn’t working, it may be time to switch things up and put an end to your lingering pain once and for all. Many athletes start by pursuing some passive treatments like rest, ice, compression, elevation and anti-inflammatory medications, and while those can help with minor issues, oftentimes it takes a little more proactive effort to overcome an injury. Controlled exercise, physical therapy and targeted stretching programs can all make it easier to restore strength and flexibility in different areas of your body.
Don’t let your athletic performance suffer and your injury risk remain elevated because you let a small injury go untreated. Instead, connect with the professionals at OrthoRehab Specialists and let us get you back to full strength for you and your team. For more information on how we can do this, or to set up your first consultation with a physical therapist, give our team a call today at (612) 339-2041.