How Physiotherapy Can Treat Your Sports Injuries

Sports Injury Got You Down? Physiotherapy in Ottawa Can Help

Have you recently sustained a sports injury and are now struggling not only to continue playing the game but to do everyday tasks? Dealing with a sports injury can be frustrating and exhausting if it limits you from returning to your sport of choice. No matter what kind of injury you’ve sustained, Amped Physiotherapy can help you make a full recovery. Contact our office today to learn more and schedule a consultation with one of our expert physiotherapists.

What Causes A Sports Injury?

The term “sports injury” includes any kind of injury that happens during athletic activity. Here are some common causes for sports injuries:

  1. Throwing too aggressively at the beginning of a baseball season
  2. Pulling your groin while playing hockey
  3. Rolling your ankle while running or playing soccer
  4. Lifting heavy weights or objects at the gym

It is important to treat a sports injury as soon as possible. Early intervention has been proven to be the best approach.  Don’t put it off until the last minute, and don’t expect it to heal by itself without the help of care professional! Your physiotherapy treatment plan at Amped Physiotherapy and the timeline of recovery will differ depending on how serious the injury is, your medical history, and whether or not the injury requires surgery.

Symptoms Of Sports Injuries

According to the National Institute of Health, the following bullet points are common symptoms experienced from acute and chronic sports injuries.

Symptoms of an acute injury include:

  • Sudden, severe pain
  • Swelling
  • Not being able to place weight on a leg, knee, ankle, or foot
  • An arm, elbow, wrist, hand, or finger that is very tender
  • Not being able to move a joint as normal
  • Extreme leg or arm weakness
  • A bone or joint that is visibly out of place

Symptoms of a chronic injury include:

  • Pain when you play
  • Pain when you exercise
  • A dull ache when you rest
  • Swelling

Different Kinds Of Sports Injuries

The following list shows the most common forms of sports injuries received by athletes:

Knee injuries

Your knee is a complex joint, so it is no surprise that it’s also the most commonly injured body part!. Knee injuries may include dull aches that run from your hip to your knee or sharp pain that feels like it is deep inside the joint.  Patellofemoral pain, meniscus tears, ligament tears, IT Band friction syndrome, and ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) tears are all possible injuries you can sustain if things go wrong on the ice or on the field.

Shin splints

Shin splints refer to pain that is felt in the shin bones. The medical terminology for this condition is “medial tibial stress syndrome.” Shin splint pain is typically caused by excess stress placed on the shinbone and the connective tissues surrounding it. This is a painful and often debilitating condition to deal with, however, they can be helped by the physiotherapist performing an analysis of your training habits, your lower body and core muscle strength, and a training shoe analysis.   

Strain or “pulled muscle”

A strain, or “pulled muscle,” happens when the muscle fibers get slightly overstretched(Grade 1), have a small hole torn in them (Grade 2), or completely tear apart (Grade 3).  Muscle strains heal with scar tissue, and if you do not participate in a rehabilitation program to help guide the formation and modification of the scar tissue, it is more likely that it will be strained once again. If you suffer from pulling the same muscle season after season, you will benefit from an assessment of your injury by one of our expert physiotherapists!

Sprain

A sprain occurs when a ligament connecting one bone to another is stretched beyond its limits.  Once a sprain occurs and a ligament is stretched, there are deficits around that sprained joint, such as reduced strength and impaired balance sense.  Without appropriate rehabilitation, it is more likely that it will occur again.

How Can Physiotherapy Help Me Recover?

The skilled physiotherapists here at Amped Physiotherapy are highly trained movement specialists who are eager to greet you and assess your condition. Your physiotherapist will perform diagnostic tests in the clinic, and use any medical imaging you have had done, such as MRI, X-ray, or ultrasound to identify the source of your problem. Through physical examinations, they will be able to evaluate how your body moves and from there, create the best course of action and treatment plan for your needs. 

Your physiotherapist will take into account the nature of your injury, your fitness level, and your lifestyle when creating your treatment plan. This plan will typically include manual therapy to increase your range of motion and reduce scar tissue, strengthening exercises to enhance the injured area, and stretches to improve balance and mobility. These are all done to help you recover after your sports injury and to prevent further injury from occurring in the future!

Have you recently sustained a sports injury? If so, call Amped Physiotherapy today to find out more about how we can help you return quickly and safely to the activities you love. You don’t have to keep sitting the game out! We can set up a consultation for you ASAP, and get you started on the road to pain relief and recovery.

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Get back to doing the things you love again without frustration or pain.

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