Sport therapy: Who can benefit and how can it help?

A key part to staying healthy is exercise, and even those who exercise regularly can still succumb to injuries. Sports therapy is an aspect of healthcare that focuses on the prevention of injuries during physical exercise and the rehabilitation of clients to get them back to their optimum levels of functioning. It can be vital to those who play sports or exercise regularly, as well as those who have hurt themselves in another manner– for example gardeners, musicians, office workers, dancers, and manual workers.  If you want to know how our Aberdeen based sports therapy may be able to help you, then read on to find out more.

What exactly is sports therapy?

There is often a lot of confusion between physiotherapy and sports therapy even though they both deal with similar health concerns. Whilst your sports therapist in Aberdeen. would apply physiotherapy skills and techniques, they are especially concerned with the prevention and treatment of sport-related injuries. There are a few key duties that they are there to help with, including:

• Evaluation – respond to sports injuries quickly, preferably as soon after the injury has been sustained. The quicker they can evaluate and assess the injury, the quicker you will be on the road to recovery.
• Prevention – aiming to optimise performance and help to prevent future injuries or re-in-jury.
• Management and treatment – After the injuries have been assessed, treat with a personalised rehabilitation plan that is unique to you and your injury.
• Rehabilitation – provide sports massages that manipulate soft tissues and muscles to help aid recovery or to prevent future injuries.
• Monitor – to track and monitor your progress during rehabilitation to prevent re-injury.

Overall, we want to help you to recover from injuries, whether they are new or chronic, and to use our skill to help prevent future injuries.

If you want to find our sports injury clinic in Aberdeen to get a better picture for your circumstances, then please feel free to get in touch today.

Common Injuries

When you play sport or you exercise frequently, then certain parts of your body can become more susceptible to injury. This is also true for the job that you have as well, it is not uncommon to see office workers with tennis elbow or bad backs. Here are some of the more common injuries that we see at our Aberdeen sports therapy clinic:

1.  Ankle and Foot – This is an important one for those who regularly exercise, and it can cause big issues. They are most commonly seen in sports where you have to run or jump when playing, it can be extremely painful and worsen over time if left untreated.

2. Shoulder – shoulder injuries, including fractures, sprains, and twists extremely common when playing sports. It is a complex part of the body, and the common is the rotator cuff injury. Anything that needs overhead action, for example tennis, swimming, weightlifting, and volleyball are likely to be affected. You can help to prevent shoulder injuries with strength building workouts.

3. Tennis Elbow – tennis elbow refers to an injury that is caused by constant use of the elbow, such as in tennis, painting, playing music or typing. This is a joint injury and discomfort tends to be felt either inside or outside the joint due to little tears in the ligament. Relaxation is the best way to combat tennis elbow, followed by forearm strengthening workouts and elbow support if necessary.

4. Groin Pull – The groin is the inner tissue of the thigh that works together to pull the legs forward. Sports that use side-to-side movements, such as rugby, hockey and football have common groin injury risks. This can take a few weeks to recover and tends to need relaxation and ice. Groin pulls tend to be stopped by correctly stretching before starting your sport or exercise.

5. Sciatica – This is lower back pain that can lead down to the legs, and while it is prevalent in cycling and racing, anyone can be affected if you do not work on posture. It is normally caused by not stretching correctly before you begin your sport, and if it is serious (swelling disks and spine spasms) then it may need to be referred.

6. Hip – the hips are part of our core and are central to our body, and so if these sustain injury it can be extremely hindering. Common causes for pain include inflammation of the joint and muscle strains and are normally caused by overuse or trauma. Stress fractures in the hip can also occur for those who participate in high-impact sports like long distance running.

7. Knee – knee injuries are a very common complaint and can include arthritis, ligament injury, cartilage injury, dislocated kneecaps, and tendonitis. It is important to know the root cause of the knee injury, and if it is left untreated can cause recurring issues and problems in later life.

What are the benefits of sports therapy?

There are many different benefits that can be experiences through sports therapy and sports massage including:

• Pain management – sports therapy can help to eliminate and reduce pain following an injury, and the sooner you can seek treatment the better!
• It can help you to avoid surgery. If you leave an injury untreated then it can lead to surgery in the future to correct.
• Help to prevent future injuries – one of the key aspects of sports therapy is to strengthen the weak areas and help to strengthen them to help prevent future injuries.
• Sports massage can help with the reduction in muscle tension, pain, and general muscle discomfort.
• Faster recovery – sports therapy can help the healing process by using correct techniques to ensure further reinjury.

Who can have sports therapy?

There is a common misconception that sports therapists will only work with professional athletes. This is not true – whatever your occupation is, our sports therapist in Aberdeen will be able to help and treat you. However, it is more common to treat those who have sustained their injuries whilst playing sport or exercise. Some common reasons we see people at our clinic include:

• Recent injuries – obviously the most common is those who have recently sustained a sporting injury.
• Ligament or muscular damage – no matter how this has been sustained, our sports therapist will be able to help stabilise the area and prevent future damage.
• Long term or chronic issues – Our therapists have a wide variety of skills and experience to help your body cope with pain, and we can use them to help you with a long-term injury or issue.
• Training whilst injured – we know that training when you are injured can be frustrating, and we can use our knowledge of strength and conditioning to help your body carry on (albeit maybe not at the same level as before) without causing further damage. We will create a programme that will help you to get your body back to the same level of fitness that it was before the injury.

Whether you are a professional or dedicated athlete, or you simply want a healthier lifestyle, find out if our sports injury clinic in Aberdeen can help you! Get in touch today.