A majority of sport-related injuries are treatable, provided you have a proper diagnosis of the injury. In case of moderate to severe injuries, do not attempt to treat an athlete unless you’re a doctor or an experienced physiotherapist.
Are you on the lookout for an experienced sports care professional in Newport Beach CA? Well, Motus Physical Therapy is the people you’re searching for. With professional services and experts attending you, you are guaranteed to have a quick and easy recovery with us.
Do’s
● Follow the RICE Method
The first and most recommended step to improve your chances of injury is the RICE method. This is an acronym for Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. You should immediately rest the injured area and limit movement for at least 48 hours. Periodically applying ice packs for 15 – 20 minutes a day can help ease the swelling.
Depending on the type of injury, applying compression will also reduce the swelling. Just be careful not to tighten the bandage too much so it will reduce circulation. The final step is elevation – keep the injured area elevated above heart level.
● Be Quick With Diagnosis of Your Injury
While this can be tough when it comes to some types of injuries, with experience, you can quickly understand the nature of an injury. Once you’ve made a diagnosis, then you can start preventive measures. When diagnosing injuries, there is a difference between quick and hasty. Taking an injury too lightly or being hasty about its diagnosis can also put you in trouble.
● Be Aware About Post-Injury Effects
Some types of moderate injuries may have after-effects that might be physical, mental, or social. The key is to understand the type of injury the person has and to treat it correctly and effectively. A good example of this is a concussion. There are several levels of concussion for an athlete. If a person is badly concussed, there might be significant post-injury effects.
There are specific types of injuries that you just cannot treat without a proper specialization, like head trauma and spinal injuries. These also have the maximum impact after injury. The best course of action here is to call on medical experts.
● Know Your Limits
Something that we tend to forget in the rush of playing our favorite game is to be mindful of limits. It is important to understand our physical limits and the boundaries of our ability as an athlete. Only carry out a risky move within a game after you’ve put hundreds of hours into practice. Putting your body in unfamiliar positions without practice might increase your chances of injury.
● Get a Second Opinion
If you’ve been diagnosed with any kind of injury, always take the option of a second opinion if it is available. While this isn’t required for minor injuries like bruises or light sprains, for something more serious, you might want to consider it. The first diagnosis is wrong or inaccurate, which happens a lot in the case of serious injuries.
Don’ts
● Try to Resume Play
A lot of times, some athletes try to tough it out or walk it off. While this looks good in movies, it seldom does any good in real life. It is dangerous and irresponsible to continue to play without knowing the extent of your injuries. In almost all cases, injuries do get worse when you play with them, so there’s every incentive for your future to take a break and assess your situation.
● Treat It on Your Own
Treating injuries by yourself, especially if it’s serious or if you’re new to sports, is a recipe for disaster. The problem with sports today is that there are a lot of old wives’ tales and cures for injuries that have no basis in reality. It gets passed on to other people, and if you’re unlucky, it might make your injury worse. If you don’t have the experience to handle an injury, the best thing you can do is use the RICE method.
● Force Bones Into Place
Another thing on this list is to force bones or joints into place. These are most common with dislocations or fractures. In the heat of the moment, people try to push it back into the socket. This is a huge problem because forcing a joint or bone back into place if you’re not a medical practitioner can cause significant damage to surrounding tissue.
● Play Without Adequate Warmup
Not warming up enough is one of the key mistakes most athletes commit. When you haven’t stretched enough, your muscles and joints are still tight and are prone to injury. A simple stretch routine before you play can loosen up your body and get you warmed up to play without the risk of an injury.
● Ignore the Physio’s Advice
Every team has a physio, and they are there for one reason – to keep players safe and free from injury. They’re considerably experienced at what they do, so ignoring their advice is not going to help you in the long run. If they ask you to take time off, listening to them is a good first step towards recovery. Get in touch with expert physiotherapists at Motus Newport Beach CA. We have years of experience with treating sports injuries.
