If you’ve recently picked up a Sports Injury, or if you’ve been suffering with an injury for a while - it can be very tempting to pass it off as “nothing serious” and simply “put up with it” carrying on as best you can. Or, it can be very easy to get disheartened and end up feeling “stuck”, wondering if you’ll ever be able to get back to playing sport or keeping active like you used to…
“It’s Been Months Now - So Why am I STILL Suffering With an Injury That’s Stopping Me From Being Active and Playing My Favourite Sport?”...
If that’s happening to you, you’re not alone - we see people going through this all the time. Most people think that when they get an Injury it’ll get better with a few days rest, and that they’ll be able to return to their sport or exercise again, quickly. But then when they go back to exercise again they’re still restricted - sometimes it’s even worse than it was when it first came on.
Often when you rest there is little if any pain - but as soon as you start up again, it comes back and no matter how much rest you give it - it doesn’t seem to be improving.
Does That Sound Like You?
This confusion over “resting” often leads people to continue to procrastinate and put off making a decision about what to do to help fix their injury and return back to exercise. Worse, many people just end up accepting ‘their days of being active are over’ - as if it’s normal, as if it ‘has’ to be that way. Sports injuries can be very confusing because more often than not, where the pain is coming from, isn’t actually the area that needs to be fixed and worked on and if you rest for too long - other parts of the body become just as, if not more problematic! So maybe you’re confused and frustrated because you been told different things, by different people. Maybe you think you have a knee problem - but it’s actually the hip where the problem came from? The problem is that when it comes to most sports injuries - ankle sprains, runner's knee etc., unless it is in a very acute stage, complete rest is rarely the best advice. Another scenario we see all the time in our Physio Clinic is when people go to the Doctors, and the Doctor tells them they need to take a break, rest, wear a support and “try these painkillers” to “see how it goes” - but then 4 weeks later they end up going back to the same Doctor again because the injury hasn’t got any better, only to be given MORE rest, and ANOTHER prescription of even stronger pills.
Can you relate to some of the things above?
If You’re Currently Frustrated And Living With A Sports Injury, Here’s 6 More Reasons Why It Could Be Lasting Longer Than It Should:
1. You thought it would go away on it’s own - but it didn’t
2. You went to the Doctor who told you to rest, wear a support, and take painkillers - but the pills helped only for a short while,but the problem never really went away.
3. You sought help from other Healthcare Professionals or a Physio in the past, but nothing they said or did seemed to help
4. You’ve tried using things like heat pads, ice, and sport supports but they’ve haven’t helped to make the pain better or return to exercise with ease.
5. You thought it would be a good idea to rest because you were in a lot of pain, but as soon as you try to be active or get back to your favourite sport, you are back in pain again.
6. You decided to get a few “sports massages” hoping that would fix the pain, but all they did was feel a bit ‘painful’ or maybe ‘relaxing’, and didn’t do anything to fix your injury long term…
If you have experienced any of the above, we would love help you by inviting you to <<BOOK OUR FREE EXPLORA SESSION>>, where you get to know how we can help you, without any obligation to book an appointment with us.
The fact that you’ve tried any or all of these things already is actually a GOOD THING because then you know what doesn’t work - and you are closer to finding the thing that does! It is also about timing, the treatment should match the stage of the injury-for example: continuing to rest beyond the acute stage of an injury isn't helpful and can even make injured tissue weaker or cause compensation problems elsewhere in the body.
Below is 4 things you can do if you have suffered a Sports Injury:
1. First off, you need to make a decision about getting help. So many people procrastinate for so long, thinking that the pain will ‘just go away with time’, but then 6 months down the line they’re still putting up with it, and nothing’s changed… Or it gets worse and they’re still not playing sport, or are restricted in their sport or activity. 2. Next, do the RIGHT exercises - one of the best things to help you recover quickly and safely from an injury is to do the right series of progressed exercises - the right exercises given to you by a Physiotherapist will offload/strengthen the right structures and also prevent long-term over-compensation by non-injured leg or other body parts. Thus, help reduce pain, and allow you to move freely and return to sport again as soon as possible. 3. Avoid “too much rest” - while rest is an important part of the recovery process, too much rest won’t do anything to help you recover quick. Many people believe that recovery means total rest from exercise. But in order for an injury to heal, blood flow is needed which rest prevents. It would really help if you were given appropriate recovery and strengthening exercises to heal the injury, alongside hands-on treatment, to get you active again as quickly as possible. 4. Get Physio - Physio is an important part of a recovery from a Sports Injury. In fact at Empower Physiotherapy we help people recover from Sports Injuries all year round. If your injury is stopping you from playing your favourite sport and keeping active, or if it threatens your independence and gets in the way of spending quality time with family and friends - Physiotherapy can help get you back to living the life you deserve as quickly as possible.
If you would like some information about how we can help, it is best to start with our << FREE Explora session >> where you get to speak with a Specialist Physio, tell us everything that's been going on with you, and determine for yourself if we are the best people to help you. It's a completely free, no-obligation appointment that will give you all the information you need to make the best decision for YOUR health - whether that's working with us or not.
OR if you rather prefer to just go ahead and book an appointment with us then call us on 074-263-1659 or if you would like to first find out about our << Session Cost & Availability >>
