Sports Injury?
Here are the BEST ways to recover!
It’s every sportsperson’s worst nightmare, injury!
Everything could be going so well and then disaster strikes and you’re left without the ability to exercise or play sport. Don’t worry – we have the necessary knowledge, treatments and tools to help get you back on the track, field or in the pool!
Physiotherapy @ Woodbridge are super efficient in the sports injury field with a range of assessment, treatment and rehabilitation to help you.
What can you do?
You’ve probably heard this before, but here it goes again. After any type of sporting injury, you should follow the PRICE principle – this used to be known as rice, but it’s been updated in line with current evidence:
1. Protect – after you suffer an injury, remove yourself from the activity and away from any danger. Depending on the severity of your pain level and the injury – give it the right protection. This may be the use of walking aids, braces or simply taking the weight off the injury. Protect the injury during its earliest phase to limit the chances of more severe injury.
2. Relative Rest – this used to be total rest, but total rest is not good for an injury – you need to move the injury within reason. Early movement and mobilisation helps to deliver blood flow, reduce pain and improve mobility of the injured area. Examples may be walking or standing for shorter times than usual if you can’t walk or move freely – ensure you perform some gentle movements of the injured body part. If you don’t – the pain will typically be worse and it can slow your progress.
3. Ice – get some ice or cold on to your injury within the first 72 hours. The reason for applying cold is to limit any bleed that may be occurring and this will reduce the severity of the injury. The more an injury bleeds the more tissue damage may be occurring and this can delay your return to action.
4. Compression – further to the ice, compress the injury. Use of an elasticated bandage or wrap is a great way to compress an injured area. Compression is a great way to limit the amount of swelling which may build up. Swelling can be painful and it can limit your joint movement. Compression should also be done as quickly as possible after an injury and continued during the first week or as long as there is swelling,
5. Elevation – raising the injured body part above heart height helps for more effective drainage of swelling and blood.
What can we do?
Once you have followed the steps above and you need some further help with your recovery – come to us.
Our Physiotherapist Derek Mernagh comes from a long line of family soccer players. As a teenager, he was heavily involved in soccer. Over the years he migrated to kickboxing, cycling, running and strength & conditioning.
As a fitness fanatic, he knows exactly what it is like to be injured during sport. Because of his first-hand knowledge and experience he can get you back to physical fitness and return to sport as soon as is humanly possible relative to your injury.
Here is how Derek can manage your injury effectively:
1. Assessment – a specialist assessment of your injury to help give an accurate diagnosis of the problem and severity. If you don’t know the type of injury you are dealing with then this can make your recovery longer and more difficult!
2. Treatments – our focus with sports injury is to give the most effective hands-on treatments to help reduce your pain levels and get you moving again. Our treatments for sports injury include; Dry Needling, Laser Therapy, Massage Therapy, K Taping and Joint Support with Bracing plus many more, dependent on your problem.
3. Rehabilitation – following treatment you will be given a tailored rehabilitation plan which will give you the right exercises to prepare you for a return to sport and exercise. Joint and muscle testing can be performed to check your progress before you return to sport. Our aim to get you as independent as possible so that you can self-manage – all rehabilitation can be performed at home and in the gym.
Need More Info?
Physiotherapy@Woodbridge aims to not only recover you from injury but to prevent future injuries. This is another benefit of coming to see us for sports injury as we can provide insight into why you may have become injured. Rehabilitation should make you stronger and more resilient for your future activity.
Take a look at our sports injury page for further information or if you have an injury and would like to book in for assessment then please contact us or book an appointment with us online.
Thanks for reading our blog and if you need any advice – please get in touch.
