SPORT INJURIES

INTRODUCTION

·        The aim of physiotherapy is to treat and fully rehabilitate the athlete, to prevent further injury and to return the athlete to sport in the shortest possible time.

·        Injuries can only be successfully treated when the cause of the problem is fully investigated and a complete assessment must be made.

GOALS OF TREATMENT AND REHABILITATION

·        Protect the injured tissues to allow healing and to control the early inflammatory phase

·        Rehabilitate flexibility, strength, proprioception, and muscle imbalance, and control physical activities.

·        Sport-specific activities must be tested to ensure the athlete can return to sport safely.

WHAT HAPPEN IF REHABILITATION IS NOT UNDERTAKEN???

·        Proprioceptive disturbance

·        Muscle weakness and imbalances

INJURY TREATMENT AND PREVENTION

PSYCHOLOGY

·        Psychology can help an athlete when they are at their lowest point and struggling to cope with a long term injury.

·        It can be done by talking about how they feel, it can help they unload a lot of the anxiety and frustration they might be feeling.

·        Physiology also can help an athlete avoid injuries before they happen. Often the stress of training and competition can play on an athlete’s mind, leading to mistake and injury.

·        A psychologist can help an athlete gain focus and concentrate on performing when it really matters.

CORE STABILITY

·        Core stability training can significantly increase an athlete’s chance of avoiding injury and also contributes to improve performance.

·        Good core stability can help keep an athlete injury free and is particularly useful for avoiding back injuries.

·        Stronger core muscles reduce the amount of strain put on an athlete’s spine by improving their posture. Poor posture can also lead to a flawed running technique that can cause injuries like Achilles tendinitis and shin splints, along with a number of other overuse injuries.

·        Common mistake made by athletes about core stability is that it centers completely on the abdominal muscles.

STRETCHING

·        Without stretching muscle cannot stretch and it run a much higher risk of picking up injuries.

·        Stretching also can improve circulation and posture as well as providing an athlete with the time to mentally prepare and focus.

·        Complete stretching routine only take as little as ten minutes.

·        Muscles should always be stretched after they’ve become warm.

·        These are recommended stretches to prevent serious injuries are:

        - Hamstrings

        - Hips

        - Calves

        - Quadriceps

        - Lower back

WARMING UP

·        Athletes can prevent injury by taking more care with their warm up.

·        An athlete that does along and through warm up in order to prevent muscle strains and tears.

·        Many athletes often pick up injuries is down to over training in order to pursuit better performance, athletes will often push their body too far which will only ever lead to injury problems.

·        To prevent this, athletes should take adequate rest and recuperation period between training and be sensible with what they include in their workout.

·        Athletes should always be sure that they have good technique to avoid unnecessary injuries, whether that is the way they swing a golf club or the way they kick a football.