Sports injuries are undoubtedly painful. Some of them can even sideline a good player for a lifetime! Irrespective of the sport, a player can be injured needing immediate and effective medical attendance. This is where the requirement of a reputable physical therapist specialized in sports injury comes into play. You can visit such a professional at Wellness Center Davie. They typically apply the fundamental treatment as well as recommend proper rehab strategies.
Here is a brief discussion on different therapies applied for treating sports-related injuries.
RICE therapy
For minor or trivial injuries like mild strains and sprains, the patients are advised to stay at home and use RICE therapy for two to three days. RICE stands for,
- Rest
- Ice application
- Compression
- Elevation
- Rest – The sufferer is recommended not to exercise and reduce regular physical activities. The person may use a walking stick or crutches to avoid putting body weight on the knee and angle. In the case of shoulder injuries, the sling can be used.
- Ice application – The patient should apply an ice pack to the injured area for 15 minutes every two hours. It would be good to wrap the pack in a towel so it doesn’t touch the skin directly and thus cause ice burns.
- Compression – Use of an elastic compression bandage is a good option to restrict swelling. However, this should be applied only during day time.
- Elevation – Keep injured areas raised above the heart level as much as possible. This reduces swelling.
Pain relief
For pain relief, medications like paracetamol are widely used. NSAIDs or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and ibuprofen are also used for the same purpose and for reducing swelling. However, professionals never recommend aspirin for children below 16 years.
Immobilization
This prevents further damage. Reduced movements also reduce swelling, pain, and spasm of the muscles. Doctors often recommend splints, slings, and casts for immobilization of injured shoulders, wrists, arms, and legs. For sprains, prolonged immobilization isn’t required. Rather, the patients should gently try to move the injured joints as they become able to do that without having notable pain.
Physiotherapy
Sportspersons recovering from a prolonged injury can benefit from Sports Injury Physical Therapy Davie. It’s a specialized therapy that includes processes like manipulation, massage, and exercises. The techniques help to enhance a wide range of motions while strengthening muscles and returning to the usual functionality of the affected area. A physical therapy expert is the right person to plan an exercise program that can help to strengthen injured body parts while reducing the chance of recurring injuries.
Corticosteroid medications and injections
These are prescribed for persistent and serious inflammations. It relieves pain. However, the level of pain relief may differ from man to man. Sometimes, the injections are repeated, if needed. Nevertheless, more than two to three injections aren’t recommended a year. These injections might show some side-effects in some patients.
Surgery
Usually, sports injuries don’t need to undertake surgery. However, in case of severe injuries like broken legs, it may be required as a corrective treatment. The surgeries are done to fix the bones with plates, wires, rods, or screws. Realigning of the displaced bones can be done without surgery as well. On the other hand, some injuries like a torn knee ligament may require repeated surgeries.
The therapies mentioned above are applied to treat sports-related injuries. But not every patient needs all of them to be applied. It depends on the individual condition of the patient regarding which sort of therapy would be ideal for them.
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