Sports injuries are common events in the career of every athlete. All amateur and non-professional athletes face such incidents due to wrong movements or lack of necessary preparation. Even professional athletes may struggle with such injuries. Although some of these incidents are so deep that there is no other option but surgery; But in many cases it is possible to treat sports injuries through physiotherapy methods and with adequate care.
Sports injury treatment services include periods of pain and swelling relief to treatments aimed at rehabilitating and strengthening muscles and improving movements. Most of the sports injuries are rooted in problems such as cramping or tearing of muscles, or breaking of bones, or tearing of ligaments and meniscus, etc. All sports injury treatment services are performed under the supervision of Mahan Physiotherapy Group, and athletes can benefit from these services from symptom relief to rehabilitation and movement improvement and muscle strengthening.
What are sports injuries? What are the differences?
The first step to treating sports injuries is to identify them and investigate the cause of such problems. Specialists of Mahan Physiotherapy Group carefully examine the conditions of sports injury to evaluate its symptoms and the possibility of its aggravation. The classification of sports injuries is evaluated in two discussions of the cause of injuries and the type of tissue that is damaged.
Sports injury according to tissue type
From muscles to ligaments and of course bones are the most tissues that are exposed to sports injuries. All sports are performed with high mobility, and as a rule, weak motor organs or organs without warm-up cannot withstand such powerful sports movements. Therefore, damage to the tissues involved in the body is inevitable. In physiotherapy, we categorize these injuries as follows:
1. Sports injuries in the soft tissue of the body:
Soft body injuries are the most common types of sports injuries that cause swelling and sometimes hemorrhage. Skin, muscles, tendons and ligaments are the most important organs of the body whose damage is classified as soft tissues. Most sports injury treatment services in these tissues also include a wide range of physiotherapy techniques and finally pain relief and muscle inflammation reduction methods.
2. Sports injuries in the hard tissue of the body:
These injuries are all seen in bone, cartilage, disc or tendon problems. Any type of cracking, chipping or fracture of the bones is included in the category of hard tissue injuries, which usually have a longer treatment period. These injuries are either caused by a powerful external force hitting hard organs, or due to high pressure in unprincipled or sudden sports movements. Nevertheless, we can provide physiotherapy services to relieve pain, reduce symptoms, and even strengthen muscles in the affected area and treat minor injuries. These services are generally based on movement techniques in physical therapy aimed at strengthening the muscles around the injured area.
Classification of sports injuries according to the cause of their occurrence
The cause of sports injuries is diverse. From heavy collisions of athletes with each other or collisions with hard objects to improper use or use under pressure of sports equipment, as well as the continuation of excessive pressure on the organs during hard sports, along with insufficient preparation, are serious grounds for various sports injuries. To treat sports injuries, it is necessary to investigate the cause of their occurrence. As a rule, understanding the cause and examining how the injury was found is the first and fundamental step to its treatment. Based on this, the types of causes of sports injuries are as follows:
1. Direct injuries:
Any type of injury caused by the direct impact of the athlete’s body with hard objects or the body of other athletes or injuries caused by falling athletes is said. The range of damage in these cases is usually large and includes problems such as fractures, cracks, or bones, and in some cases, ligament and disc tears between bones, etc. The pain caused by such injuries is very high and significant swelling is seen after the accident. Generally, we need surgery to treat such injuries; But it is necessary to reduce its initial symptoms such as pain or swelling. Part of the treatment of sports injuries in physiotherapy is related to these direct injuries and reducing their severity and symptoms.
2. Indirect injuries:
They are a part of sports injuries that indirectly put athletes’ movement organs under tension or tension and eventually lead to cramping, tearing or fracture. These injuries usually occur due to lack of awareness or unpreparedness of the athlete, and their treatment is generally possible through physical therapy techniques. Sports injuries due to doing wrong movements or working wrongly with sports equipment and tools are such cases. In this type of problems, the organ is usually not damaged under pressure; Rather, sports injuries appear in organs different from those under pressure. For example, any type of muscle cramp in the shoulder due to excessive stretching of the hands is a type of indirect injury.
3. Injuries due to high mobility:
Extreme exercise, regardless of the recovery period, is one of the most common causes of sports injuries. These types of injuries are usually common among amateur athletes. Because these people do not attach much importance to the recovery period after sports activities, and they limit the intervals of performing hard sports movements as much as possible, and the pressure on the body is increasing as much as possible. Failure to pay attention to the recovery period gradually causes deep damage in the movement organs of the body, which manifests itself in the form of swelling or chronic pain. Also, long-term use of non-standard sports equipment, such as running or long-term walking with inappropriate shoes, are sufficient grounds for such injuries. Part of the treatment services for sports injuries due to high mobility includes rehabilitation and muscle strengthening courses through physiotherapy techniques.
What are the most common sports injuries?
Sports injuries are generally of the muscular or movement type, which are caused by high pressure or wrong movements, and even the heavy collision of the stadium with the ground or other athletes, etc. The most common injuries are as follows:
- bone crack
- Rupture of tendons
- Stretching and contraction or muscle swelling
- Knee ligament tears and movement problems
- Sprained ankles or arms
- Dislocation and any kind of displacement of bones
- Damage in the cap section of the bones
When should we apply for physiotherapy?
Many sports injuries are actually cramps or muscle spasms, which can be resolved by observing the recovery period and sufficient rest, and even a spa bath. But sometimes the extent of these injuries is so serious that it is necessary to see an orthopedic doctor and finally undergo physiotherapy treatments. Therefore, if you see the following symptoms, be sure to consider medical care and physiotherapy services:
- Presence of any swelling or severe pain
- The presence of lumps in the affected parts
- Any unusual sound of the joints during movement, such as cracking or clicking of the joints
- The presence of any kind of unusual protrusions and abnormalities
- Feeling of weakness in the joints or any kind of instability of the joints
Physiotherapy services for the treatment of sports injuries
A large part of sports injuries are due to stretching or muscle and joint fatigue, which can be treated with adequate rest and the use of physical therapy techniques. At the same time, more serious injuries such as bone fractures or torn muscles and ligaments require physiotherapy services to relieve pain, reduce swelling and strengthen muscles, and finally prepare for surgery. In general, we summarize sports injury treatment services through physiotherapy in the following cases:
- Movement recovery, muscle strengthening and trying to prevent body loss and athlete’s fitness
- Restoring the strength of the damaged tissue with the aim of following up on joint dryness and muscle weakness
- Avoiding movement restrictions and trying to prevent the development and criticality of sports injuries
The importance of time in the physiotherapy of sports injuries
Timely and correct diagnosis of the type of injury along with choosing the best physiotherapy method is effective in improving symptoms and relieving pain and speeding up the process of treating sports injuries. The beginning of primary physiotherapy treatments should be in the first hours after sports injuries. Timely physiotherapy measures in the newly injured limb play a role in shortening the treatment period and complete recovery. At the same time, the speed of action in the initial physical therapy measures will prevent the aggravation of injury and further injuries to the athlete.
Ice compress, painkiller spray, splinting with the aim of preventing excess movements, etc., are all basic physical therapy measures that can play a prominent role in quickly relieving pain and preventing the aggravation of injuries. Part of the physiotherapy services for the treatment of sports injuries is also related to the initial examinations and the speed of the operation to find the cause of the injury and diagnose its severity and adopt the best treatment method.
Sports injuries that require physiotherapy services
Physiotherapy services for the treatment of sports injuries will include a wide range of movement and bone problems due to accidents or pressure caused by sports movements; But in general, physiotherapy is for strengthening and preparing or rehabilitating the injured organs. Meanwhile, for serious injuries such as fractures or muscle tears, we have to undergo surgery. Physiotherapy services for the treatment of sports injuries are as follows:
- Any type of injury to the meniscus of the knee
- Injuries to shoulder tendons and bursitis
- Preparing the muscles for the start of fracture surgery and muscle rehabilitation after fracture treatment.
- Pain relief and improvement to the treatment of peripheral nerve strain
- Rehabilitation of sprained joints such as knee or ankle sprains and
- Strengthening muscles to improve symptoms and reduce the effect of tearing ligaments and tendons
- Pain relief and treatment of stretching of muscles, ligaments and tendons
Physiotherapy services for the treatment of sports injuries
Physiotherapy techniques for the treatment of sports injuries are numerous, which include initial measures to prevent the exacerbation of the injury to the stages of pain relief and swelling reduction, and finally treatment, muscle strengthening and movement correction. At the same time, physiotherapists can work in the stages of initial examination and accurate diagnosis of the injured position to check the severity of the injury. It is also a part of the physiotherapy services for the stages after the recovery of the injury to rehabilitate and prepare the environment and the athlete to continue his professional activities. The methods of treating sports injuries using physiotherapy are as follows:
1. Massage therapy:
Massage is a large and effective part of physiotherapy services for the treatment of sports injuries. Most sports injuries appear as a result of muscle cramps or stretching, and we can easily overcome these sports challenges by going through the stages of massage. Massage therapy is a part of the recovery period of athletes, which has an effect on the opening of muscle contraction and softening of the joints of the body by increasing the blood flow. They usually use massage therapy to go through the recovery process or to reduce muscle stress during the recovery period.
2. Cold or hot compress:
The use of cold or hot compresses is one of the first physical therapy measures after sports injuries, which is effective in reducing inflammation, swelling and finally relieving pain in the injured organs. The timely use of hot or cold compresses in the early hours after the injury plays a role in preventing the severity of the accident and ultimately speeding up the treatment, and it is necessary to do it correctly and taking into account the principles of physiotherapy.
3. Methods of using physiotherapy tools:
There are a variety of physiotherapy tools to support injured organs. Equipment such as arms, splints, braces, adhesives and support tapes and even devices such as takar, magnet, shockwave, etc. are among the support tools for injured organs. A bold part of physiotherapy services is for the professional and appropriate use of these tools to improve symptoms through muscle support. At the same time, these tools can be used like all kinds of arms to support injured limbs during heavy sports movements.
4. Strengthening and flexibility movements:
Strengthening the muscles and maintaining the flexibility of the joints is part of the physiotherapy services for the treatment of sports injuries. In order to strengthen the muscles and maintain the flexibility of the joints, there are specialized movements and special exercises that will be prescribed for the injured athlete at the discretion of the physiotherapist. These movements are effective both at the beginning of sports injuries and for pain relief and muscle relaxation, and at the end stages of the treatment and recovery period for the strong return of the athlete to the sports fields.
5. Correcting sports movements:
A large part of sports injuries is due to doing wrong movements and improper exercise method. These wrong sports movements, even in the lightest conditions, are prone to serious injuries for athletes due to their continuous performance. Correcting sports movements and teaching how to perform the movements correctly is also considered part of the services of physiotherapists for the treatment of sports injuries.
From ice therapy to massage and the use of physiotherapy equipment to the use of strengthening and corrective movements, they are all included in the list of physiotherapy services for the treatment of sports injuries. Physiotherapists decide on how to use treatment methods according to the type of injury caused, the severity of the injury, and muscle and movement problems. At the same time, it is possible to prescribe several techniques such as massage therapy to movement correction at the same time. On the other hand, it is necessary to prepare a strategy for starting the treatment until going through the stages of physiotherapy and finally rehabilitation in the final stages and muscle strengthening of the athlete.
In the Mahan group physiotherapy team, you can benefit from all the physiotherapy services for the treatment of sports injuries. In the Mahan Physiotherapy Group, we are with you from the examination stage to the diagnosis of the severity of the injury and the adoption of the most effective treatment and rehabilitation methods, and you can benefit from the specialized services of the Mahan Group for the recovery and re-preparation of athletes to return to the sports fields.