Common Sports Injuries That Can Benefit From Physiotherapy

Sports injuries are a common occurrence in and out of the playing field. Physical and contact sports athletes are especially prone to injury several times in their career whether they are an amateur or a seasoned professional. Fortunately, even some severe injuries can be treated with physiotherapy.

Below are common sports injuries and how a physiotherapist can help alleviate symptoms.

Types of Sports Injuries

Different sports can lead to different injuries with a set of symptoms and complications. Below are the common types of sports injuries:

• Sprains – When the muscles are overstretched or when ligaments are torn, they result in a sprain. The ligaments are the tissues that connect two bones to each other.
• Strains – Much like sprains, strains are also a result of overstretching or tearing but this time, of the tendons. Tendons are the thick, fibrous tissues that connect the bones to the muscles.
• Knee injury – Most sporting events requiring that an individual perform certain motions that can affect the knee joint. Injuries to the knee can range from overstretching to muscle or tissue tears.
• Fracture – Fractures can range from minuscule cracks on the bone to a complete break. This happens when the bone receives a blow far stronger than it can support.

• Swollen muscles – Muscles become inflamed they are overstretched or torn. Most athletes experience back, shoulder, and hamstring muscle strains as a result of fatigue and overuse.
• Achilles tendon rupture – The Achilles tendon is the thin tissue at the back of the ankle. While performing sports activities, the tendon can break or rupture, resulting in pain.
• Dislocation – A sudden fall or heavy impact can force the bone out of its socket and damage surrounding tissue.
• Rotator cuff injury – The rotator cuff is made of four muscles working together so that the shoulder can move in all directions. However, certain activities will cause rotator cuff muscles to tear and weaken.

There are a variety of ways to address these types of injuries. The first of which is the RICE method — rest, ice, compression, and elevation. For more serious injuries and pain, a licensed physiotherapist can help with healing and recovery. They create a comprehensive plan tailored to your injury, sports, and needs while helping you perform the various activities safely.

Severe Sports Injuries

While certain injuries, like a sprain, can be treated easily and don’t require much recovery time, there are also others that can be more serious. Athletic routines involve comprehensive activities including stretching, exercise, and proper nutrition which are designed to complement each other to minimize the risks of injury. However, even when observing the necessary precautions, even the most experienced athletes are at risk of severe injuries that can potentially end their careers.

• Torn ACL – An anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury can affect athletes of any sport but is typically observed in lateral-motion-intensive sports like basketball and football. The ACL is responsible for stabilizing the leg and allows for dynamic movement. Moving quickly from one direction to another (especially sideways) can tear the ACL. Players with this injury typically need a year of rehabilitation before they can fully recover. Comprehensive physiotherapy treatment is needed to make it possible.

• Severe Concussions

While concussions are extremely common, typically mild, and easily shrugged off, severe concussions can be fatal. Other symptoms of a serious concussion include loss of vision, motor function issues, memory problems, and even chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE)

• Torn Ulnar Collateral Ligament

This injury is common among pitchers and can affect their throwing arms. The human body is not built to throw a baseball at a great speed with such frequency. Chances are if a pitcher suffers an ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) tear, they may no longer be able to return to the game. However, physiotherapy has, in recent years, had a high success rate when addressing UCL. It is no longer as debilitating as it used to be.

• Spinal fracture

Spinal fractures are a severe form of spinal injury and can be debilitating. It can affect an individual’s ability to move and can also lead to paralysis. Most physically intense sports activities present the risk of spinal fracture, which can be difficult to treat. However, even though spinal injuries like this can keep a player out of the field (even permanently), physiotherapy has been known to effectively help affected players manage the injury and recover.

• Femur and Tibia Fracture

The thigh bone (or femur) and the shin bone (or the tibia) are the strongest bones in the human body. These bones can carry heavy loads and are responsible for supporting and bearing the majority of a person’s body weight. In addition to being the longest bone in the human body, the femur is also four times stronger than concrete. Both these bones can withstand high amounts of impact and pressure. However, severe accidents can fracture them and injure the player. Because of the role they play in carrying the rest of the body, injury to these two bones may keep a player from participating in sports again

How Physiotherapy Helps Treat Common Sports Injuries

No matter what type of sports you play, the risk of injury remains steadfast. However, the human body is able to withstand a recover quickly using various methods. One such method is physiotherapy.

Physiotherapy focuses on restoring the strength, functionality, and mobility of affected limbs, giving you the opportunity to return to the game you love. In addition to this, the various modalities of physiotherapy allow you to manage pain symptoms caused by the injury. Furthermore, they can also design programs and offer advice to reduce the chances of injury recurrence.

Whether you want to prevent getting injured or are currently experiencing pain and other symptoms due to a sports injury, contact a physiotherapy clinic. PARC of Ontario has several branches throughout Canada; choose the one nearest you. We offer a variety of services including checkups, sports massage, chiropractic care, and sports therapy. Our physiotherapists will assist you every step of the way so that you can regain the full functionality of injured limbs and even enhance your performance. Call us today at a clinic near you.