1st March 23
Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy and Sports Injuries
How to relieve pain and return to activity:
Nobody likes being injured. Sports injuries can be a frustrating setback for anyone who enjoys an active lifestyle. Whether you’re a seasoned athlete or just starting out, the pain and discomfort of sports injury can have a significant impact on your daily life. Fortunately, musculoskeletal physiotherapy offers a range of effective treatment options for sports injuries that can help you reduce pain and get back to doing what you love.
In this blog post, we’ll explore the basics of musculoskeletal sports physiotherapy and how it can benefit those dealing with sports injuries. From common types of injuries to specific treatment techniques, we’ll cover everything you need to know to start on the road to recovery.
Sports injuries can be complex and require specialized care to ensure proper healing, relieve pain and accelerate recovery. While rest and pain relief medication can help alleviate symptoms in the short term, they don’t address the underlying issues that caused the injury in the first place. This is where musculoskeletal physiotherapy comes in.
What do Physiotherapists do?
Physiotherapists are trained to assess and treat a wide range of sports injuries, from sprains and strains, joint pain and more severe conditions like fractures or dislocations. We can identify the injured body part and develop a personalized treatment plan that includes targeted exercise, manual therapy, and other techniques, physiotherapists can help improve flexibility, strength, and range of motion while reducing pain and inflammation.
This not only helps speed up the healing process but also reduces the risk of future injury by addressing any underlying imbalances or weaknesses in the body.
Types of musculoskeletal conditions we treat
At The Carter & George Practice, patients can receive elite physiotherapy treatment for a variety of conditions, major and minor injuries. Some of the most common ones include:
Sports Injuries:
As co-founder Jamie George is a professional rugby player, it’s no surprise that sports injuries are a common focus at the practice. From sprains of ligaments and strains to more serious injuries like ACL tears in the knee, the team at The Carter & George Practice can help athletes get back to peak performance.
Back and neck pain:
Whether caused by poor posture, injury, or other factors, back and neck pain can be debilitating. The physiotherapists at The Carter & George Practice use a range of techniques to alleviate pain and improve mobility. Back pain can also be caused by facet joint issues, which you can learn more about here.
Post-operative rehabilitation:
After surgery, it’s important to work with a physiotherapist to regain strength and mobility in your joints. The team at The Carter & George Practice can create personalized treatment and rehabilitation plans for patients recovering from procedures like joint replacements or ligament repairs.
Our services at Hertford, Radlett and Hitchin clinics
At The Carter & George Practice, musculoskeletal physiotherapy and sports injury treatment is available at our clinics in Hertford, Radlett, and Hitchin. We specialize in providing tailored treatments for musculoskeletal injury of all kinds and are passionate about helping patients achieve their rehabilitation goals.
Our musculoskeletal physiotherapy treatments take into account the whole body, not just the affected area. This means that we can go beyond simply treating musculoskeletal issues themselves, and focus on areas of potential imbalances or weaknesses to help improve overall mobility and reduce the risk of future injury.
For most sports injuries, our team of experienced physiotherapists work with patients to develop an evidence-based exercise program and treatment plan. This includes techniques to reduce swelling, and other techniques (including specific movement exercise) to help improve flexibility and strength while reducing muscle/joint pain and inflammation. We can also perform imaging tests such as ultrasound scans to give you an accurate diagnosis.
What makes us different?
At The Carter & George Practice, we are proud to provide specialist treatments such as shockwave therapy treatment, gait analysis and metabolic testing. Shockwave therapy is a non-invasive treatment that uses pulses of energy to reduce musculoskeletal pain/symptoms and improve movement. Gait analysis helps us identify any abnormalities in the way a patient walks and Metabolic testing measures how efficiently your body is functioning and can help to pinpoint areas of metabolic imbalance.
Where possible, we will always try to
Does my sports injury require surgery?
Injuries that require surgery are not as common as people believe, and most issues can be resolved with an accurate assessment and treatment plan, gradually increasing exercise levels towards their previous level and ultimately, getting he athlete back to performing normal activities. On occasions, it can take a few months to fully recover your movement and function, but we are there to guide you through it.
The benefits of musculoskeletal physiotherapy include:
– Improved strength, flexibility, and range of motion of the injured area
– Increased stability and balance of the injured area
– Reduce pain, discomfort, and fatigue
– Improved physical performance
– Improved quality of life
– Faster recovery times following musculoskeletal injuries or surgeries
– Decreased risk of future musculoskeletal problems.
Here are some tips to help prevent sports injuries:
– Warm up before each workout with dynamic stretching and light aerobic activity.
– Gradually build up the intensity and duration of your workouts.
– Avoid overtraining or overexertion by giving yourself regular rest days.
– Use appropriate gear, such as properly fitting shoes and protective padding.
– Make sure your technique is correct before increasing the weight or speed you are lifting.
– Strengthen the muscles around your joints to help improve stability and reduce the risk of injury.
– Listen to your body – if something feels wrong, listen to your body and it’s symptoms.
– Cross-train by mixing up your workouts to target different muscle groups and prevent overuse injuries.