Physical therapy is designed to help people in all walks of life recover after an injury or surgery, but certain populations stand to benefit more from the services that are provided during a session. And while a case can be made for other groups, we believe it is the injured athlete that has the most to gain by connecting with a physical therapist during their recovery period. In today’s blog, we explain all the reasons why athletes should strongly consider physical therapy after an injury or surgery.
Physical Therapy For Injured Athletes
PT is helpful for patients of all ages and activity levels, but athletes oftentimes stand to benefit the most from regular physical therapy sessions. Here’s why:
Quicker Recovery – Everyone wants to shorten their recovery period, but that’s especially true for athletes with a competitive drive that want to return before their season is over. Athletes can oftentimes feel like they are letting the team down if they are sidelined by an injury, but they can shorten their time away from the team by connecting with a professional who can help them recover faster.
Stronger Recovery – Rest alone won’t help an athlete get back to a pr-injury level of fitness. If you want to be running as quickly or jumping as high as you were before your injury, you need to connect with a physical therapist who can ensure that you make a full recovery. Don’t let your game suffer because you never got back to full strength after an injury. The easiest way to make the best recovery after an injury or surgery is by working with a physical therapist.
Injury Prevention – Your body will naturally be a little weaker after an injury, and if you don’t help your body overcome this weakness during your recovery stage, you may be at an elevated risk for a subsequent injury in the future. We don’t want you to develop chronic ankle instability or suffer another tendon rupture because the area never regains full strength after an initial injury. Let our team help keep your injury recurrence rate low by ensuring you make a strong recovery and safely transition back to athletic activity.
Endurance And Stamina Training – Even if you end up making a full recovery from the issue that kept you on the sidelines, there’s a good chance that your athletic stamina and muscle endurance took a hit as a result of your limited activity during recovery. If you try to return to athletic activity without rebuilding your stamina and endurance, your performance may suffer and you may be at an elevated risk for injury. A physical therapist can help you quickly and safely reacclimate to game speed.
Sport-Specific Recovery – Finally, many of our physical therapists played or still play sports on a competitive or recreational level, so they understand the physical demands of different sports. We understand how to help patients recover from an ACL tear, but we also understand how to help soccer players recover from an ACL tear, because they’ll have some sport-specific demands to account for during recovery. We want you to have strength and confidence in your body’s ability to perform sport-specific activities, and physical therapists understand better than most the physical demands of your individual sport.
If you’re an athlete hoping to overcome an injury or get back on the field after surgery, let the team at OrthoRehab Specialists be your guide. For more information, or for help with a different physical issue, reach out to our team today at (612) 339-2041.
PT of Costa Rican National Soccer Team for 2007 World Cup in Victoria, CAN. Clinical Instructor for University of Minnesota Doctor of Physical Therapy Affiliations
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