Sports Injuries and Physical Therapy
Injuries are common while participating in organized sports, competitions, training exercises, or fitness activities. Poor training methods, not warming-up, lack of conditioning, incorrect gear or equipment, fatigue, overuse and dehydration are a few of the causes of sports injuries. According to the National Institute of Health, the most common sports injuries include sprains, strains, Achilles tendinitis, fractures, knee injuries, rotator cuff injuries, dislocations, swollen muscles and shin splints.
Athletes are involved in a large variety of sports and each sport has its own injury risks, it is critical that each patient be examined based on the particular sport that caused the injury. Such sports like golf, baseball pitching, and tennis use a repetitive motion such as loading, swinging, throwing and a follow through motion. While these sports are different they have the ability to create the same stress on certain body parts.
Physical therapy is one of the best and most common ways to treat a sports injury as it helps rebuild strength and movement. Physical therapy can also help with pain management and prevention in order to lessen the damage and to decrease the chances of reinjury.
At Fusion Physical Therapy, our physical therapist, Jason Dipprey, is trained to help patients recover quickly following an injury. Jason will partner with you to create a customized treatment program which will address your needs. We recommend that you stop playing or exercising if you experience any pain. Injuries take time and the normal healing process follows a pattern of phases. At each phase there is a different treatment program and our physical therapist will accurately diagnose each phase and create a treatment plan based on the appropriate phase of the injury. Also, in order for us to create the best treatment plan for your injury, it is extremely important for us to know how the injury happened, the injured area and the extent of the injury.
The customized treatment program may consist of exercises, stretches, and various techniques using specialized equipment along with teaching you how to perform exercises at home. Many minor injuries can heal with time and by adhering to the P.R.I.C.E. (Protection-Rest-Ice-Compression-Elevation) method. This method allows for healing and recovery to take place while controlling inflammation.
For those with more of a severe injury, treatments may consist of range-of-motion exercises, cold/heat therapy, compression therapy and manual therapy.
At Fusion Physical Therapy our number one priority is to treat your injury as well as provide prevention education. Call us today at 580-699-5455 or make an appointment online by visiting www.lawtonfusion.com/book-an-appointment/.