Introduction
In the modern era, rehabilitation after sports injury has become a domain for specialist, where its evolution has bought together Sports Therapists, Sports Physiotherapists, Sports Strength & Conditioning Coaches and Orthopaedic Surgeons. Professionals such as those listed, help to aid an individual through the process of injury rehabilitation. Many of us would be lying if we said all of our clients are amazing at doing their rehab, that they do the exact sets and reps, the exact exercises coached, every single day. But don't get me wrong, there are some that absolutely smash it!
Truth be told, rehabilitation is as important as treatment following any injury, but is often not perceived that way, or stopped once symptoms diminish. We’re all guilty of it, sometimes the easiest and quickest of rehabs can be forgotten, avoided, placed right down the pecking order! It happens all the time, even by those who should know better! Nonetheless, it is important to know and understand that injuries will improve and heal more successfully if a rehabilitation plan is followed.
Treatment with a professional for 30-60mins once a week/every other week/ or once a month is not going to be the sole thing that fixes you (although it would be nice hey! Ultimate job satisfaction and fantastic client reviews!) Heartbreakingly, there are a lot of hours that go unaccounted for between sessions with a Sports Therapist that have to be filled with the client doing their rehab in order to facilitate the process of recovery.
With that said, not only are rehabilitation plans prescribed to those presenting with injury, but many athletes also follow rehabilitation & exercise plans to prevent the onset of injuries and pain by strengthening and activating vital areas of their body and muscle groups to better prepare them for the demand they face within their sport.
A study conducted in 2016 looked at group of injured athletes who were all given a rehabilitation programme to complete. Subjective and objective markers were recorded, and it was concluded that those athletes that actually completed their rehabilitation were more self-motivated, tolerated pain better, perceived that they worked harder at their rehabilitation and were less bothered by scheduling time to complete their programme.
In addition, follow up appointments with a Sports Therapist become even more beneficial to the client when rehabilitation has been completed. We always take a subjective report to how the period of time has been between sessions. What’s better/worse/same etc. But having an objective marker to measure will also allow treatment and exercise prescription, going forward, to be optimal. We can see how the body has responded to our approach, make changes where needed, whether that’s progressions, regressions, or a different route all together to better help the recovery process.
Below is a brief overview of the benefits of rehabilitation as well as certain conditions that may benefit from a tailored programme, made just for them!
Benefits of Rehabilitation
Faster recovery
Reduced pain
Restoring muscle strength, endurance and power
Improving flexibility
Enhanced proprioception
Improved balance
Injury prevention
Creating resilience and reducing chances of re-injury
What conditions benefit from exercise rehabilitation?
Chronic injuries, such as long term back pain, knee pain and ankle stability
Acute injuries such as following a fall, sporting injury or ligament/tendon damage
Post-operative procedures
Hypermobility
Injuries that are being stubborn to manual therapy
Sporting injuries
Lacking of strength and fitness
Poor posture
Poor flexibility
Poor mobility
I hope you have found this blog helpful when understanding why rehabilitation is prescribed in the way it is! When I set my clients ‘homework’ I promise it is always with the best intentions!
Have a great weekend, enjoy the sun and crack on with your homework!
Well wishes,
Liv
BSc Hons Sports Therapy MSST
MSc Strength and Conditioning
07761887778
@injuryrecoverycentre
References
Dhillon, H, Dhilllon, S and Dhillon, M. S (2017), ‘Current Concepts in Sports Injury Rehabilitation’, Sports Injury, 51(1) 529-536.
Fisher, A. C, Domm, M. C and Wuest, D. A (2016), ‘Adherence to Sports-Injury Rehabilitation programs’, The Physician and Sports Medicine, 16(7).
