Did you know that over 20% of professional athletes develop at least one sports injury during their careers?
Even if you aren’t a professional athlete, regularly playing sports puts you at higher risk for injury than the general population. What’s your plan for recovery if you do get injured?
Here, we talk about six of the major benefits of working with a physical therapist when you’re in recovery from a sports-related injury.
1. Work With Professionals Who Understand
When you see a general practitioner for help with your sports injury recovery, they may or may not be able to give you what you need. Often, they’ll simply tell you to stop whatever exercise you’re doing and wait for your body to heal.
Many physical therapists, like those at Pure Physio, are athletes themselves. They know that stopping all movement isn’t always possible, nor even desirable! You deserve to work with professionals whose goal is to help you recover enough to go back to playing the sport you love.
2. Non-Invasive Treatment
When you receive surgical treatment for an injury, you’re entering into a recovery process that will take weeks and maybe even months. You’re in for a lot of pain and may never recover the flexibility and strength that you had before your injury.
Physical therapy will help you avoid this as long as possible. Non-invasive stretches and strengthening exercises may be enough to help you recover from your injury.
Even if you do need surgery to recover, incorporating physical therapy into your injury rehab process will help you bounce back as quickly as possible.
3. Personalized Care
Your body is unique, and your sports injury recovery should be personalized to you and your unique needs. Hospital-based physical therapy often has such a volume of patients that you’re unable to receive the customized care that you deserve.
A specialized physical therapy clinic, on the other hand, has the time and resources available to ensure that you receive the quality of care you need to recover and return to optimal performance.
4. Treat the Cause, Not the Symptoms
Pain relievers and anti-inflammatory medications can relieve the symptoms of pain, but they won’t stop the cause of the pain. Over time, repeated stress on your muscles and ligaments can cause irreversible damage and injury. With physical therapy, you can tackle the cause of your pain symptoms, keeping worse injuries from happening in the first place.
5. Improve Future Performance
Many of the rehabilitative exercises you’ll be given by your physical therapist are exercises you can do at home. This means that, even once your official treatment is complete, you can continue to develop your flexibility and strength on your own. Over time, you’re likely to build stronger and more flexible muscles than you had pre-injury, leading to improved athletic performance in the future.
6. Build Resilience Against Future Sports Injuries
Flexible, strong muscles are more resistant to injury than their weaker, less flexible counterparts. By receiving physical therapy, you’re making your body less prone to future injury.
Begin Sports Injury Recovery Today
Now you know six of the major benefits of using physical therapy services for your sports injury recovery process. From building strength and flexibility to avoiding surgery, there are many reasons to work with physical therapists for your athletic recovery needs.
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Amanda Byers is a graduate of Columbia, where she played volleyball and annoyed a lot of professors. Now as Zobuz’s entertainment and Lifestyle Editor, she enjoys writing about delicious BBQ, outrageous style trends and all things Buzz worthy.
