Learning About Diagnosing Common Health Problems

Posted on: 9 December 2016

When you experience a major injury while playing a sport, there are often long term repercussions that come along with the injury. Many athletes assume that their body will heal and they can go back to life as usual, though this is not usually the case at all. The guide below walks you through a few things you need to know about recovering after a sports injury.

Recovery Could Take Weeks, Months, or Years

Depending upon the severity of the injury you suffer, your recovery time could take weeks, months, or even years. If you have to have multiple surgeries, you may not be able to go back to playing sports in the same way for years due to the recovery time. Between each surgery, your body will need to recover, which will add a lot of time to your recovery period.

Physical Therapy Is Essential for Proper Recovery

When you are recovering from an injury, it is important to keep your muscles, joints, and tendons strong and flexible. Your body will hurt and using the muscles the way they are intended to be used may not be easy for you. A physical therapist can help you learn how to use your body the right way again. They can help you build strength in areas that are weak in a safe and controlled way. It is important to realize that you will need to work at the therapy office and at home if you want to see results as quickly as possible. The therapist will walk you through exercises that you can do at home to build your strength. Pay attention to what he or she says to ensure that you are doing them properly.

Contact a clinic like Advanced Physical Therapy to learn more about this part of the recovery process.

Regular Checkups Will Be Needed

After you have surgery for a sports injury, you will need to go to your doctor on a regular basis to ensure that your body is healing properly. If anything is not healing properly, the doctor needs to be able to address it right away to ensure that you do not have any long-term problems from the surgery. The number of checkups you need will start to depreciate as your body starts to heal.

When you are injured, it is important to give your body time to heal. You do not want to push yourself too much or you could end up injuring yourself all over again. Pay attention to the doctor's guidelines and listen to your body when something seems painful or too difficult to do.