Do you have a Sports Injury? Physiotherapy can help! Painkillers and visits to your GP are not the answer!
How do competing athletes get fit and stay fit, avoiding frustrating sports injuries which can prevent them playing or doing the activity they love?
If you’ve recently picked up an injury participating in sports, it’s very easy to pass it off as a ‘little niggle’, putting up with it as best you can in order to continue doing the activity you love.
Have you had to stop doing a sport you love?
If you've stopped doing sport, you'll know that it can be very disheartening. You can be left feeling stuck and not knowing where to go next, even wondering if you'll ever get back to playing sport or keeping active like you used to.
At Recover Physio we treat people like you all the time at our clinics in Norwich. In fact, we see people all year round who have suffered injuries whilst playing or participating in sport or activity, so we understand what you are going through.
Our physiotherapists have years of experience in treating sports injuries at all levels, from those who compete for fun, through to Premier League footballers. At Recover Physio we know precisely what treatment you need, as well as the rehab process required for your specific type of sports injury.
When a professional athlete suffers a sports injury, the process of diagnosis and treatment begins immediately. However, after picking up an injury, recreational sports people often put off seeking professional help, gritting their teeth and carrying on in order to avoid stopping the activity that they love doing.
Does this sound like you?
Many patients we see in our clinic have described the same scenario. They have been to see their GP about their injury. They were told to simply rest, take painkillers and see how it goes. A few weeks later, with no improvement whatsoever, they simply feel like they have wasted time, during which they've been unable to enjoy the sport or activity that is important to them. Many sufferers then go back to the doctor, only to be prescribed more rest and even stronger painkillers.
A major problem is that when it comes to sports injuries – hamstrings, ankle sprains, runners knee, tennis elbow, etc – complete rest is very rarely the answer. These injuries can also be very confusing as the place where the pain is coming from is sometimes not where the actual problem lies. Conflicting advice from friends and internet searches can leave you confused and frustrated, not sure where to turn next. Which is why it is so important to get a proper diagnosis and treatment plan at the earliest opportunity.
Do any of these sound familiar?
If you're currently living with a frustrating sports injury, here are 6 common experiences that you may be familiar with:
- You thought the pain would simply go away on its own after a period of rest, but it didn't.
- You've tried resting and applying ice, but the pain stays the same.
- You went to the doctors, thinking they would help, but were prescribed painkillers and told to rest.
- A family member told you that everyone picks up sports injuries, so you dismissed the problem and have tried to live with it.
- You've visited other healthcare professionals, but nothing they did helped you return to sport.
- You've tried sports massage, but the relief was short-lived and didn’t help the problem long term.
If you have a Sports Injury, we are here to help
Recover Physio is recognised as one of the best physiotherapy practices iin Norfolk, with hundreds of five star ratings across both our clinics. We're specialists in sports injuries and sports rehabilitation. We'll provide both manual therapy and exercise prescription as part of your treatment plan.
Our physiotherapy clinic at The Nest features outdoor facilities such as a grass pitch and flood-lit 3G pitch, making it ideal for patients recovering from football, rugby, hockey, or athletics injuries who need pitch based rehabilitation. .
What are some of the most common sports injuries?
Sports injuries can be picked up on any part of the body, but some injuries are more common than others, depending on the sport. Some of the most commonly injured parts of the body include (from top to bottom):
- Head - Concussions are serious injuries and should be carefully evaluated before returning to sports. Common symptoms can include headaches, confusion and dizziness, to slurred speech and sensitivity to light. It is no longer accepted that just resting is the best way to treat symptoms of concussion and that rehabilitation from a trained Physiotherapist will lead to improved outcomes.
- Shoulder - Shoulders are the most mobile joint in the body and can often be injured from playing sports or through trauma from falling.. Some of the common shoulder injuries include dislocation, muscle or tendon injury, ligament tears or inflammatory conditions.
- Elbow - Tennis and golfers’ elbow occurs when the tendons in the forearm that are responsible for moving the wrist become irritated and sometimes inflamed due to overload. This makes wrist or hand movements painful or can reduce strength.
- Knee - The knee is composed of many structures that add stability, strength or movement to the joint. Trama or overuse can cause one or more of these structures to become painful, or mean that the knee is not as stable as it should be. As always, a good diagnosis by a Physiotherapist is essential to guide treatment.
- Shin - “Shin splints” is an umbrella term for a few different condition that affect the front of your lower leg. They are often the result of a sudden increase in activity or a change in the way you move and can be common in runners, hockey or football players.
- Ankle - Twisting or rolling an ankle is one of the most common sports injuries. It can result in damage to ligaments, tendons or the ankle joint and often lots of swelling. Ankle injuries can be very painful as we load the joint through walking and good early management is essential for a good outcome.
- Achilles tendon - The big rope-like structure at the back of your ankle, the Achilles Tendon attaches the strong muscles of your calf to your heel, providing the movement required to walk and run. Overload through sudden increases in activity or poor biomechanics (the way you move) can cause tendinopathies that can be very debilitating and require careful treatment and management from a good Physiotherapist to recover.
Physiotherapy plays a crucial role in sports injury rehabilitation, helping athletes of any level recover and return to their sport or activity safely and with greater strength and resilience. We can help whether you’ve suffered a sudden injury or have noticed symptoms building gradually over time.
Creating a tailored Physiotherapy treatment plan
The first step is to book an initial assessment, which consists of discussing your injury and any other relevant history and performing physical tests to find a diagnosis for your issue. We'll then craft a treatment plan tailored to your needs, which will include a mix of hands-on therapy and rehabilitation exercises specific to the injury needing treatment, whilst fitting with your lifestyle. Through a mix of follow-up physiotherapy appointments and at-home exercises done between appointments, we'll help to get you back to enjoying the sports and activities you love as soon as possible!
Why choose Recover Physiotherapy?
We understand that you have options when it comes to who you see for your healthcare, so we want to make certain that you feel completely comfortable with us and confident about how we will help you.
We always listen to feedback from our patients and the most common thing we hear is that they really liked being able to speak to a Physiotherapist, for free, before their first appointment. It gave them the chance to ask questions about their sports injuries and learn how physiotherapy could help them to make a speedy recovery. We always take the time to talk through your issues with you and to answer any questions you have.
At Recover Physio, our physiotherapists will work with you to fix your sports injuries and to prevent them from returning, allowing you to enjoy your favourite sport or activity worry free.
If you would like to know how the team at Recover Physio can help you with your sports injury, why not speak to one of our friendly physios first? Just click below to request a callback from a member of our team!
Sports Injury Treatment in Norwich
If you'd like to book an initial sports injury consultation, you can book online at either of our two branches in Norwich, Norfolk.
Princes Street, Norwich City Centre
Our Princes Street clinic is the flagship clinic of Recover Physio, situated in the heart of Norwich city centre in Tombland.
The Nest, Holt Road
Our clinic at The Nest serves customers in Norwich and surrounding areas of North Norwich and Norfolk.