It is quite common for sports persons to be injured during their sports events or games, as all the outdoor sports require extensive motion of the limbs and the body. But proper physical training, sufficient warm-up exercises and adequate conditioning of the muscles can help in preventing the sports injuries to a large extent.

With advancement in the medical field, today, most of the sport related injuries can be completely healed. This can be achieved successfully by the application of sports physiotherapy techniques. These special exercises help in curing all types of injuries received by the sports person of all ages and in all categories.

Types of sports injuries that can hamper the sports career

  • A sports person often suffers from sprains or strains in the muscle fibers and ligaments of the limbs.
  • Injury in the knee bone or ligaments often cause the players to be bedridden for days; while the swollen muscles in the limbs can create immense pain.
  • Many runners start suffering from shin splints that stop them from pursuing their athletic activities.
  • Even the hairline fractures and the simple dislocations can be well treated with the effective physiotherapy exercises and other treatments.
  • Some specific sports, like golf, soccer, baseball and tennis are more likely to cause serious injuries to the players, from time to time. These players are injured due to the biomechanical motions of the total body, during the proceedings of the games.
  • A few serious injuries of the elbows that can be treated through physiotherapy are tennis elbow or lateral epicondylitis, golfer’s elbow or medial epicondylitis, which are actually the inflammation on the outer muscles or inner muscles of the upper arm, near the elbow of the patients. ‘Tommy John’ or the injury in the collateral ligament of the ulna, near the elbow joint that is mostly seen in baseball players can be fully cured by physiotherapy techniques.

Sports physiotherapy treatments for curing the major sports injuries

The rehabilitation processes of an injured sports person are usually classified into sub-acute phase, acute phase and chronic phase; depending on the seriousness of the injury or the pain.

  • The sub-acute phase is required to be treated with controlled motioned exercises, for strengthening the inactive or injured muscles of the body. Various resistance exercises are also prescribed by the sports physiotherapists for the betterment of the physical situation of the sports person.
  • The acute phase generally consists of the regular application of the ice compression, practices of the elevation exercises and enough rest as well, to heal the injured body parts and also to protect these injured parts from the chances of further injuries.
  • The chronic phase is treated with routine workouts and massages, along with hot or cold compressions, if needed, for giving relief to the extreme pains.
  • Sometimes, ultrasound or gentle electrical shocks are also applied to cure very serious injuries, which cannot be cured by exercise regimes.
  • Most of the swelling of the injured muscles can be decreased by the hot or cold compression, depending on the nature of the injury.
  • The massages done by the expert physiotherapists help in reducing the inflammation and the pains of the injured tissues and ligaments, which also mobilize the stiffened joints; mainly the painful elbows and the knees. A gentle massage therapy is termed as Reflexology, as per the medical terms that help in elevating the depressed mood of the injured players and provide them relaxation.
  • Craniosacral therapy is applied by many sports physiotherapists, to give relief from the mental tensions and other psychological problems, which help the sports people to think positively, in turn contributing to their healing faster.

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