For professional athletes and weekend warriors alike, sports injuries are a reality that one must be prepared to handle. In order to help point you in the right direction in the event of an injury, we’ve put together a list of tips from identification to treatment and returning to play.

 

Tip 1: Take Action (Carefully) After an Injury

If you’ve been injured – or if you even suspect you have – it’s important to do what you can immediately after it happens.

Proper treatment for sports injuries will depend entirely on the specifics of the injury, of your body, and many other factors, but a good first step is the PRICE system: Protect, Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation.

Whenever possible, consult a professional about how to apply the PRICE system. The basic principles are as follows:

  • Protect the injury as best you can.
  • Rest any injured tissues. Don’t give into temptation and keep exercising or playing.
  • Ice is a simple yet effective way to manage inflammation.
  • Compression, or pressure in other words, can help reduce swelling and inflammation.
  • Elevation of the injured tissue can use gravity to drain fluid away from an injury, further reducing inflammation, swelling and pain.

 

Tip 2: Pay Attention to Your Pain

You can manage some injuries by yourself, but don’t be too stubborn. Know the difference between being hurt and suffering an injury. When the pain you sustained has not gone away or perhaps gotten worse, this is a good indicator of an injury.

But in general, the more careful you are, the better. Anything that’s been bugging you will likely benefit from a professional opinion.

 

Tip 3: Don’t Keep Playing on an Injury Without Getting Advice

If you keep playing on an injury or go back too soon after recovery, you could be shooting yourself in the foot (or knee, or elbow, etc.) when it comes to your future health. A little advice can go a long way towards avoiding future problems and achieving a faster and more complete recovery.

 

Tip 4: Getting Diagnosed by a Physio or Doctor? Things to Consider

When it comes to sports injury treatment, a proper diagnosis is critical. A complete diagnosis of a sports injury should take into account – among other things – factors concerning you personally, the sport you play, the way you move, and lifestyle factors or other habits that could influence the injury or recovery.

The more information you can bring to your healthcare professional, the more help they’ll be able to give you. So consider how it happened, what your goals are for recovery, and even factors outside sport like other things you do that might have been or could be a factor.

And remember, the goal of recovery is not just to get you back on the field, but to help you avoid future injuries of the same kind – and other kinds – upon your return.

 

Tip 5: Don’t Forget Your Psychological Recovery

Sports injuries often carry psychological consequences as well as physical ones.

Any injury can make a player uneasy about getting back on the field. If a player ignores the mental aspects of recovery or returns before they are psychologically ready, they can risk re-injury or low performance because of lingering anxiety or even depression that can develop during downtime.

 

Good Luck with Your Recovery

If you’ve sustained an injury, we wish you the best of luck with your recovery.

If you need help from a physiotherapist with your sports injury treatment, we hope you’ll keep us in mind.

 

Morley Physiotherapy Centre Website

Phone: 9375 3900

Email: admin@morleyphysio.com.au