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Preventive Injury and Physiotherapy

Introduction:
Most of us do consider exercise to be a vital part of a healthy. For some of them, sports are a way to burn extra calories; it is a way to socialise with people and a way to get fit. Unfortunately, it results in occasional sports injury, or a flare-up of an old injury.
It is not only the athletes who suffer sports injury, but, people who have just started exercising. Sports injuries are the injuries to musculoskeletal system that include bones, muscles and tissues which include tendons, ligaments and cartilage.
The most common sports injuries include:
  • Sprains: A sprain occurs when the ligaments joining the ends of one bone to another are torn or stretched. Knees, back, ankles, neck, shoulder and wrists are vulnerable to sprains.
  • Strains: A strain occurs when a tendon or a muscle is torn, pulled or twisted. Strains can occur from overstretching especially while playing. An example of a strain is a muscle spasm.
  • Knee pain and injuries: These include runner’s knee, tendonitis and iliotibial band syndrome. Severe knee injuries generally include bone bruises or damage to the ligaments or cartilage.
  • Shin splints: Shin splints occur when there is pain along shin bone: the long bone in the front part of the leg. These occur in runners, especially to those who have just started a running program. This is caused due to poor alignment of the body or weakness in the leg muscles.
Causes of Sports Injury:
The following could be some of the causes of a sports injury:
  • Lack of protection
  • Field/Facilities (Slippery or Rough terrain)
  • Inappropriate footwear
  • Physical games
  • Lack of knowledge/ facilities surrounding appropriate equipment use
  • Rules/Regulatory bodies Age (under aged players)
Prevention of Sports Injury:
Proper training, stretching, strengthening are important elements to prevent sports injuries. It is important to work with professionals, who are trained and dedicated to making sure that one is properly conditioned.
Physical therapists usually have years of working experience with different sports injuries and can help to train individuals on how to prevent injuries. Physiotherapists know exactly how to help those who have sustained impairments. Be it a sports injury or neuropathy or overuse that has caused the impairment, physiotherapists offer great advice and provide guidance on how to avoid the root causes of disability.
Individuals who aim to improve their physical health can make large improvements with minor changes in their lifestyle. For instance, increase in physical activity levels along with proper nutrition leads to a tremendous change in lifestyle. Prevention of such illnesses is possible by incorporating physical activity in the lifestyle.
Also See: IMS Vancouver
Physiotherapy for Sports Injury:

The secret of achieving a healthy physical state is in prevention; we have all heard this: “prevention is better than cure”. One can talk to their physiotherapist about what one can do to prevent and treat a variety of health problems related to your family history, lifestyle activities and living or work environment.

Physiotherapists play a vital role in the prevention of injuries that may have resulted due to a lot of physical activity in adolescents; it helps the person to continue to enjoy the social, physical and emotional benefits of activities without compromising their safety.

Physiotherapy offers preventive health programs that includes:
  • Injury prevention
  • Cardiovascular exercise programs
  • Fitness testing and exercise program design
  • Sport specific conditioning
  • Pre-operative rehabilitation for general surgery
  • Weight/diabetes management programs
  • Pre operative rehabilitation for joint replacement/reconstruction surgery
  • Falls prevention
  • Management and prevention of injury in the workplace
Also See: Lower Level Physiotherapy
Apart from conducting physical therapy, the physiotherapist also provides one with the education to prevent future injuries. Below are a few pointers to keep in mind to prevent sports injuries to a certain extent.
  • Spend time for warm up, before starting any kind of exercise or sports of heavy physical activity.
  • Start slowly, sudden level of activity leads to a lot of strain on the muscles, bones and joints which may lead to injuries.
  • Have proper sports gear and equipment as per the needs of the sport and maintain them. Most injuries are caused due to improper use of gear or the lack of a proper one.
  • Regular breaks are crucial it lets the body rest and heal. Over training or over leads to muscle strain and/or other injury.
  • Learn to listen to your body. One should simply back off at the very first sight of discomfort or pain; this helps in the injury to not devastate over time.
  • Undertake training under the eyes of an experienced trainer or a professional who can train in a proper manner to help avoid over exertion and to learn the right techniques.