Whether at an amateur, professional or recreational level, millions of Americans love participating in sports for fun and healthy competition. However, as soon as you receive an injury because of your sport, you can no longer participate until it’s healed. And, without assistance, injuries can take a long time to fully heal.
Physical therapists know that injured athletes cannot wait to get back in the game. Whether you’re a golfer or a football player, your sports injury can benefit from a physical therapy-based treatment plan. A therapy specialist can even help you learn if your sports injury is one you should seek physical therapy for.
What are common sports injuries that require physical therapy?
Some of the most common sports injuries are also those that most require treatment from a physical therapist. Injuries that can benefit from physical therapy include:
- Sprains — A sprain refers to a ligament that has been torn or stretched, resulting in pain and loss of mobility.
- Strains — A strain is like a sprain, but it is the tearing or stretching of a muscle instead of the ligament.
- Knee injuries — Your knees work hard in many sports activities. Injuries to the ligaments or meniscus are common in athletes.
- Shin splints — These are microtears in the muscles and bone along your shin that develop from overactivity.
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Tennis elbow — Similar to golfer’s elbow or pitcher’s elbow, this injury refers to pain and inflammation in the tendons of the forearm near your elbow.
What’s involved in sports injury treatment from a physical therapist?
No matter what your sport or your injury is, if you’re ready to feel better again and get back in the game, you should seek rehabilitative treatment from a physical therapist. Physical therapists are licensed health care professionals with years of training and experience.
They’re also experts in the human musculoskeletal system. This allows therapy specialists to identify the source of your pain. It also helps them develop treatments focused on regaining the strength and flexibility of the muscles and ligaments around the injured area to encourage your recovery. Some of the treatment options your physical therapist could use for your injury include:
- Pre- and post-surgical rehab
- Virtual therapy
- Therapeutic exercises
- Dry needling
- Myofascial release
- At-home care
- Manual therapy
- Ergonomic recommendations
Back in Motion Physical Therapy offers high-quality sports injury treatment
At Back in Motion Physical Therapy, we use the latest technology and techniques to help athletes recover from their sports-related injuries. We’ll start by doing a free screening to learn as much as possible about your injury. Then, our physical therapists will build you a personalized therapy plan designed to fit your specific needs.
Contact us today for more information about how we can help with your sports injury or to schedule an initial appointment.
