6 common athletic injuries that can benefit from sports physical therapy

Sports physical therapy is a specialized area of physical therapy that focuses on the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of sports injuries as well as improving musculoskeletal function in athletes. The goal of sports PT is to restore an athlete’s physical abilities so they can resume their sport at the same or higher level than before their injury.

By learning more about the most common sports injuries, you can possibly keep them from happening to you.

What are common ways that athletes get hurt?

Depending on the kind of sports you participate in, you may be at risk for one or more of these kinds of injuries:

• Ankle injuries — Just about any athlete who spends a lot of time running is at risk for an ankle injury. If you roll your ankle or if you twist it, you can strain or tear its connective tissue.
• Concussions — In sports with lots of contact, like football, you are at risk for a concussion. A concussion occurs when your brain crashes against the inside of your skull due to sudden impact.
• Pulled muscles — Overusing your muscles, especially muscles that are tired after a long period of performance, can cause them to stretch or tear. This is common in different areas of your legs due to the constant running, jumping, and switching back and forth that a lot of sports require.
• Shin splints — Running for long periods of time can cause the muscles and connective tissue around your shin to become inflamed.
• Knee injuries — A sudden twisting of the knee or bending it in the wrong direction can cause a sprain or tear to the ligaments in your knee. For instance, anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears are one of the most common knee injuries in athletes.
• Tennis elbow — Known officially as lateral epicondylitis, tennis elbow occurs when one of the tendons in your elbow become inflamed from overuse. This condition is a type of tendinitis that’s common in athletes. Other joints in your body can be affected by tendinitis as well. 

Benefits of sports physical therapy

The main goal of sports PT is to get you back in the game as quickly as possible after an injury. Sports therapy can offer a number of benefits for athletes. 

These benefits may include:

• Improving circulation.
• Treating sports injuries with physical therapy.
• Reducing pain and inflammation.
• Increasing flexibility, strength and endurance.
• Preventing injuries.
• Improving posture.

How it can help specific injuries 

• Ankle injuries — Physical therapy can help people with ankle sprains reduce their pain. It can also help them regain their strength, motion, and balance; return to normal activity levels; and avoid reinjury.
• Pulled muscles — Soft tissue mobilization is a sports physical therapy method that can help pulled muscles. Physical therapists will put skilled pressure on the injured muscle to help break up scar tissue and promote healing. 
• Knee injuries — An injury can limit movement in your knee joint or muscles. Physical therapy helps to improve mobility by strengthening muscles around your knee joints..

Experienced a sports-related injury? Sports physical therapy from Armor PT can help

Even if you are fit, train a lot, warm up and stretch properly, you can still get hurt. If you’re an athlete who’s been injured, talk with the physical therapists at Armor Physical Therapy about developing a treatment plan for you. We can help you regain your strength and mobility and come back fitter than before to prevent future injuries. 

We also offer training services to help athletes grow more fit and coordinated. Even if you haven’t been injured, you can benefit from physical therapy training. 

If you’re ready to start your treatment, contact us today to schedule your first appointment.