Sports Physiotherapy
Sports physiotherapy is a branch of
physical therapy that is geared toward both athletes and casual players who
have suffered an injury or ongoing problem. Sports physiotherapy is a
specialized form of physiotherapy which is designed to help with injuries or
conditions occurred during sports activities. The modalities include hands-on
treatment and rehabilitation. Whether you’re a professional athlete or at the
beginning of your athletic journey, sports physiotherapy can be a suitable form
of treatment for you.
Sports activities, whether
professional or otherwise, can cause muscle strain or even serious injuries. If
these problems are not given proper medical attention and treatment, they can
worsen. However, these unwanted injuries can now be alleviated and prevented
from happening again through the application of sports physiotherapy. You can
maximize your performance and prevent future injuries through various
techniques and exercises. Sports physiotherapy is meant to help you get back on
track as soon as possible in a safe, secure, and effective way. The treated
conditions through sports physiotherapy differ from nerve, ligament, or muscle
injuries to other musculoskeletal disorders.
The Key Areas of Sports Physiotherapy
include:
- Examining and diagnosing injuries
- Identifying the cause of an injury
- Designing an individual treatment plan
- Rehabilitation
- Performance enhancement
Procedure
Sports injuries are high-performance
injuries that require utmost care. A Sports physiotherapist works closely with
the athlete/ team to identify the requirements of a particular sport and bring
out the best result post-injury in performance. For instance, if a midfield
footballer injures his ankle while playing football and goes through rehab. He
is given specialized rehab exercises to be able to run, cut directions and
manipulate the ball like before the injury as per his sport. Depending on the
sport a customized rehab program is designed to assist the athlete back to the
sport. If it’s a cricket injury like hypertension in a fast bowler, then the
bowler is guided to exercises that prevent hyperextension or stabilize the
spine and assist in his return to cricket.
Sports physiotherapy can provide
various treatment modalities. The treatment approaches towards back pain and
neck pain in regular patients will be dealt with with various treatment
techniques used in sports therapy and mainly in movement rehabilitation.
For instance, Running has been taken up by many regular individuals for
fitness, but they struggle with injuries due to a lack of guidance/knowledge.
Sports that require Physiotherapy
Players are at risk of injury at any
moment, they can sustain injuries to the head, face, shoulder, arm, thigh, and
knee There are various measures to prevent the injuries by making sure that the
muscles and joints are properly warmed up, protective gears are used, using
safety equipment, and doing proper cool-down exercises. The exercises should be
done under the guidance of a trained and experienced physiotherapist. Sports in
which injuries occur most commonly are:
- Soccer/football
- Tennis
- Cricket
- Hockey
- Athletic
- Though various other
sports also require physiotherapy treatment like Basketball, Volleyball, Rugby, Badminton,
Cycling, etc.
Conditions Treated by Sports Therapy
Muscle Strain: Muscle strain or pulled
muscle is one of the most common sports injuries that often take place when a
muscle is overstretched and gets torn. Muscle strains mainly affect the
quadriceps, calves, quadriceps, groin, lower back, and shoulder.
Tendonitis: Inflammation of the tendon
is referred to as tendonitis, associated with overuse, but can also be
developed when a traumatic injury creates micro-tears in the muscle fibers.
Stress Fracture: Stress fractures are also
a form of overuse injury. It takes place when the muscles are no longer able to
absorb the pressure, thus resulting in a fracture. Stress fractures usually
affect the lower legs and feet, and women athletes are more prone to such
injury than men.
Contusions: Direct impact on the muscle causing injury
is known as contusions. The faster the speed of the equipment that hits the
player more severe the injury resulting in swelling and bruising of the area.
RICE is recommended for treatment, and medical assistance may be required for
more severe contusions.
Whiplash Injury: Whiplash injury can
happen by an abrupt or unexpected backward or forward motion of the neck.
Falling suddenly or getting hit causes the head to jerk and the neck gets
strained. It occurs commonly in contact sports, causing pain, and
numbness in
the arms due to minor or major soft tissue damage to muscles and ligaments in
the neck and vertebrae. The recovery of the player depends upon the severity of
the injury.
Shoulder Impingement: Shoulder impingement
occurs due to repetitive overhead movement during playing. These repetitive
concentric and eccentric movements place demand to maintain high levels of
muscular control, required to maintain the stability of the shoulder joint.
Initial physiotherapy treatment for these conditions is rest, ice, and Kinesio-taping.
To increase the flexibility of the muscles, ligaments, and tendons, range of
motion and strengthening exercises are designed by the physiotherapist.
Acromioclavicular Joint Injury: The prevalence of
shoulder injuries is high in hockey. The most seen shoulder injury is the
Acromioclavicular
(AC) joint injury, also known as a shoulder separation. This injury occurs due
to direct contact hit into the shoulder. The severity can vary from a sprain to
a complete tear of the involved ligaments. The physiotherapy treatment includes
immobilization by rest in a sling followed by isometrics and gentle ROM
exercises.
Rotator Cuff Injury: The most common cause of
a rotator cuff tear is repetitive microtrauma, which can occur over some time.
Bruising or swelling occurs due to repeated rotator cuff injury by pinching or
straining, catching, or squeezing the rotator cuff tendons. Physiotherapist
focuses on reducing inflammation and pain. The therapist recommends ROM
exercises, isometric exercises, and capsular stretching, followed by isotonic
exercises and aggressive pain-free strengthening.
Tennis Elbow: Tennis elbow injury
occurs to the tendons located on the outer side of the elbow, this overuse and
overload occur from the serve and forehand stroke. Physiotherapy treatment for
tennis elbow involves rest, ice and Kinesio- taping. A wrist brace or tennis
elbow band can be used and special physiotherapy exercises for stretching and
strengthening the muscles are beneficial.
Golfer’s Elbow: Golfer’s elbow or medial
epicondylitis is caused due to excessive use of topspin and due to overload on
the backhand stroke-causing pain and inflammation. Physiotherapy treatment
involves rest, ice, and Kinesio- taping. A wrist brace can be used, followed by
stretching and strengthening exercises.
Wrist Strain: Falling on an
outstretched arm includes wrist sprains, wrist fractures, and shoulder
dislocations. It can occur when the wrist moves in an abnormal position,
suddenly twist, bends backward, or sustains heavy impact. The player feels
tenderness, warmth, popping or tearing sounds, and difficulty in moving the
wrist.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: These injuries occur due
to the laid-back grip, rotation of the palm upward, and quickly turning the
wrist to perform the topspin. Treatment for these conditions involves rest,
ice, Kinesio- taping and range of motion, and strengthening exercises.
Lower Back Pain: Players suffer from low
back pain due to the fast weight transfers, jumping, and twisting, resulting in
repeated flexion, extension, rotation, and lateral flexion of the spine
commonly required during cocking or loading phase of the tennis serve. The physiotherapist designs strengthening
exercises for back and abdominal muscles to increase strength
Abdominal Side Strain: Side strain occurs in the
side of the body involving the Oblique muscle. Due to the forcible contraction
of the muscle the injury occurs on the opposite side of the bowling arm. Side
strains also occur because of repetitive arm action. The player feels pain and
tenderness associated with internal swelling. Treatment requires adequate rest.
After examination of the injured part, for appropriate strength and
conditioning, the player can gradually return to activity,
Femoroacetabular Impingement: Femoroacetabular
impingement can occur due to the multidirectional movement pattern, loading and
abruptly starting, cutting, twisting, and stopping. This form of hip injury can
be treated with the help of RICE and physiotherapy sessions under the guidance
of a physiotherapist.
Groin Pull: Groin pull occurs because
of a pull or stretch of the muscles of the inner thigh. The player feels pain
and tenderness in the groin and the inside of the thigh while raising the knee
or while bringing the legs together. The player feels severe pain with a
popping or snapping sound during the injury.
Iliotibial Band Syndrome: Iliotibial band syndrome
occurs due to overuse injury along the outer thigh. Due to continuous friction
created by the IT band along the outer side of the thigh, during running. The
player feels pain and tenderness on the lateral or outer part of the thigh and
knee just above the knee joint.
Hamstring Strains: A hamstring strain is
usually caused when the muscles become overloaded, leading to a strain, or a
complete tear. Hamstrings are usually injured during sprinting i.e., during
fast bowling while fielding or running between wickets as a batsman. The player
feels sudden or severe pain during exercise, pain or tightness while
straightening or bending the leg, and weight-bearing. Physiotherapy treatment
starts with RICE followed by progressive strengthening through exercise, soft
tissue massage, scar tissue mobilization, dry needling, and taping.
Torn ACL: ACL or anterior cruciate ligament
helps in keeping the knee joints together and brings stability. A Torn ACL is
extremely painful and restricts the ability to walk. The injury takes place
from a direct shot to the knees, or incorrect landing and or stopping and
changing direction quickly.
Torn MCL:
It is another form of a knee injury, which takes place when the medial collateral
ligament that connects the femur to the tibia is injured. It is caused when the
knees are pushed sideways. This form of knee injury can be treated with help of
ice compression, braces, and sports physical therapy sessions under the
watchful eyes of a sports physiotherapist.
Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome: Patellofemoral pain
syndrome or runner's knee is a condition in which the cartilage under the
kneecap is damaged due to injury. It can occur due to strained tendons or
misalignment in the knee. The player feels pain while exercising, bending the
knee, climbing the stairs, squatting, and jumping. The player feels cracking or
popping sounds in the knee while climbing stairs or after sitting for a longer
duration with the knee bent.
Shin Splits: It affects the insides of
the lower leg or shin area and is an overuse injury and a common injury found
among runners. Athletes having flat feet are more susceptible to this form of
injury.
Pulled Calf Muscle: Pulled calf muscle injury
occurs when any one of the muscles i.e., gastrocnemius or soleus is pulled from
the Achilles tendon. This occurs due to jumping or running. The player feels
bruising, redness, mild swelling, and is unable to stand on the ball of the
foot.
Plantar Fasciitis: Plantar Fasciitis is the
inflammation of the plantar fascia ligament that connects the heel to the front
of the foot. Putting too much strain and stress are the major reason behind
this form of injury and is usually treated with rest, ice, and stretching
exercises.
Ankle Sprains: Medial ankle sprain can
occur when the toes are turned out while the foot is flexed upward. Lateral ankle sprains can occur in soccer
when a player kicks the ball with the top of their foot. Ankle sprains take
place when the ligament that supports the joint gets overstretched due to
incorrect stepping or stepping on an uneven surface or twists and rolls.
Usually, ankle strains heal with RICE – rest, ice, compression, and elevation.
Achilles Tendon Rupture: Achilles tendon rupture
occurs due to the partial or complete tear of the Achilles tendon. This can
occur when a player performs a fast or jerky movement. Ankle sprains occur when
the ligaments (surrounding the ankle joint) are stretched or torn.
Achilles Tendonitis: Achilles tendonitis is
the inflammation of the lower back of the leg just above the heel. Achilles
tendonitis injury occurs because of overuse. Players perform sudden and
repetitive movements that may eventually cause this injury over time. Physical
activity worsens the pain and is usually treated with some rest, ice,
stretching, and strengthening exercises.
More or Less Sports Injuries treatment involves sports
physical therapy along with proper medication to bring relief to the athletes. Physiotherapy in sports injury has
proven to be quite useful in the rapid recovery of athletes and is one of the
most trusted forms of treatment.
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Benefits of
Sports Physiotherapy
1. Helps
Correct & Improve Technique
Whether you
participate in CrossFit, weightlifting, hurdles, swimming, soccer, or any other
sport, we can help you with your technique.
Having a good
technique can help you go faster, jump higher and lift heavier loads, all while
also preventing injury.
The technique
is also one of those things that’s hard to evaluate for yourself, as looking in
a mirror can’t show you all the angles and even watching a video may not be
able to show those tiny adjustments that need to be made.
We’ve helped
many athletes with beneficial changes to their technique, and you’d be
surprised how the smallest change can make a substantial improvement in their
performance.
2. Specific
Training for You
As sports physiotherapists,
we look at you as an individual with unique characteristics.
We do a full
assessment of your biomechanics, your technique, strength, range of motion,
coordination, balance, and proprioception. This helps us identify exactly how
we can help you reach your maximum potential.
For example,
you or your coach may not notice that you have decreased ankle proprioception
which could be impacting your performance, but we will know after our assessment.
Then we will give you specific exercises to help improve your proprioception.
The result?
Better performance decreased the chance of injury, and a happy athlete and
coach.
3. Recovery
We’ve all
been there - it’s peak season, it feels like you’re training more than you
sleep, and your body is exhausted, achy, and stiff. You can barely get into
your car or lift your coffee mug.
Sports
physiotherapy can help you with general recovery even in the absence of injury.
This includes soft tissue release, dry needling, taping, manipulation
techniques, and exercises to help maintain mobility and decrease stiffness.
This will
also help you stay fresh for all that training and help prevent any injuries
4. Injury
Prevention
A sports
physiotherapist has the skill set to evaluate and assess the specific sport
you’re doing, including the intensity, frequency, and environment of your
training sessions. This helps us identify various injury risks.
From this
evaluation, we can provide you with exercises to combat those risks to prevent
injury from occurring.
This includes
a tailored warm-up routine that will help prepare you for the session, and a
cool-down routine to help your body recover.
For more
information on warm-up and cool-down routines, see our blog on static and
dynamic stretching here.
5.
Acute/On-Site Treatment
Sports
physiotherapists are qualified to assess and treat acute injuries and are often
present during matches, competitions, and training sessions.
This ensures
that if any injury occurs during a practice session or competition, we are
right there and can start giving advice and managing the injury from the very
beginning.
Acute on-site
treatment is extremely important, as how you handle the injury in those initial
moments after it happens is crucial and can either hinder your healing process,
or it could help your recovery in the long run.
6.
Rehabilitation
Athletes and
sports people in general are never a fan of the word “rehab”, but many of our
clients have enjoyed their rehab and have come out stronger on the other side.
This is
because we do a full assessment of your injury and any other contributing
factors that there may be. At Melbourne Sports Physiotherapy, we use both
Strength Dynamometers, and the exit system to perform elite-level strength
assessments
Then we plan
out a structured rehabilitation program that not only focuses on healing your
injury but also on maintaining your fitness as much as possible and addressing
any weak spots in your movements that could have contributed to your injury
(strength, balance, stabilization, proprioception, etc.).
We make use
of many techniques including dry-needling, joint manipulations, soft tissue
release, myofascial release, and many more.
7. Return to
Play & Maintenance
A big part of
the rehabilitation program will be assessing you for return to play. These are
assessments that we do to check if you would be ready to go back onto the field
and compete, get back into the pool to race, or return to the gym for that
powerlifting competition.
We test your
speed, agility, cutting maneuvers, balance, proprioception, strength, technique,
and anything else that you would need to get back out there.
Discussing
with you how you feel about returning to play at this stage can also help us to
build your confidence, and we could refer you to a sports psychologist to get
you mentally ready and prepared to be your best.
The tests we
would conduct would also be specific to you and your sport which ensures that
you’re physically ready and mentally confident.
Remember -
we’re here to help you! We want to see you succeed in whichever sports you
participate in.
So, if you need
a sports physiotherapist to help you with any injury or concern - look no
further, because we’re here and we would love to help you.
8. Enhance
Physical Strength
Each blow, an
athlete takes during their activity, takes a toll on their body, straining the
muscles, joints, bones, and ligaments. A sports physiotherapist will be able to
help increase the strength in your body. You may be able to handle a higher
level of physical pressure sports involve.
9. Help Your
Body to Relax
After intense workouts or playing the field, so to speak, it can be hard for some to relax and unwind afterward. You may be so psyched up to keep going that you push your limits a little too far. If this sounds like your problem, it’s worth looking into a session with a sports physiotherapist as your body stretch helper and healer. Sports therapy can help your body regain the energy it needs for the following day.
10. Improve
Joint and Muscle Flexibility
Whichever
sport you’re involved with will depend on what level of flexibility you need to
achieve. A sports therapist can help you work on your flexibility for the goals
you are trying to obtain, whether it’s to get fitter and healthier or you’re
training for an elite championship tournament.
11. Prevent
Injuries
When the body
is strengthened, it is less susceptible to camps, muscle strain, torn
ligaments, and other sports-related injuries. Your physiotherapist will help
you come up with a plan for your body. Various exercises will be included to
help strengthen and condition your body so that it’s tailored to your sports
activities.
12. Treat
Injuries