If you’ve recently picked up a Sports Injury, or if you’ve been suffering with an injury for a while - it can be very tempting to pass it off as “nothing serious” and simply “put up with it” carrying on as best you can.
Or, it can be very easy to get disheartened and end up feeling “stuck”, wondering if you’ll ever be able to get back to playing sport or keeping active like you used to…
If that’s happening to you, you’re not alone - we see people going through this all the time. In fact, we see people living with an injury from sports and exercise in our physio clinics in Sittingbourne and Maidstone no matter what time of year...
I’ve spent years working with people who play sports at all levels, so I’ve just about seen every type of sports injury there is - and know how to help people recover from them. When my athletes get injured – I start treatment the NEXT DAY.
That is completely the opposite to the way that most people respond to getting a sports injury, and is why so many people suffering with a sports injury are asking themselves:
Most people think that when they get a Sports Injury it’ll get better with a few days rest, and that they’ll be able to return to their sport or exercise again, quickly.
But then when they go back to exercise again they’re still restricted - sometimes it’s even worse than it was when it first came on. Often when you rest there is little if any pain - but as soon as you start up again, it comes back and no matter how much rest you give it - it doesn’t seem to be improving.
Another scenario we see all the time in our Physio Clinic is when people go to the Doctors, and the Doctor tells them they need to take a break, rest, wear a support and “try these painkillers” to “see how it goes” - but then 4 weeks later they end up going back to the same Doctor again because the injury hasn’t got any better, only to be given MORE rest, and ANOTHER prescription of even stronger pills.
The problem is that when it comes to sports injuries - hamstrings, ankle sprains, runner's knee etc., - complete rest is rarely the best advice.
So maybe you’re confused and frustrated because you been told different things, by different people. Maybe you think you have a back problem - but it’s actually the hip where the problem came from?
Sports injuries can be very confusing because more often than not, where the pain is coming from, isn’t actually the area that needs to be fixed and worked on and if you rest for too long - other parts of the body become just as, if not more problematic!
This confusion over “resting” often leads people to continue to procrastinate and put off making a decision about what to do to help fix their injury and return back to exercise. Worse, many people just end up accepting ‘their days of being active are over’ - as if it’s normal, as if it ‘has’ to be that way.
If any of these have happened to you - we would love to help you by inviting you to book a call to talk with one of our physios at our Sittingbourne or Maidstone Physiotherapy Clinic to find out what can be done to help you. The fact that you’ve tried any or all of these things already is actually a GOOD THING because when you know what doesn’t work - you are closer to finding the thing that does!
Click the link below to book a call with us if you would like to get some solid advice given to you over the phone. The phone call is complimentary and there is no obligation to book any appointments with us after the call is over. Our goal is to help you make the right decision about what to do next for the best.
Click HereWell, here's 4 things you can do:
1. First off, you need to make a decision about getting help. So many people procrastinate for so long, thinking that the pain will ‘just go away with time’, but then 6 months down the line they’re still putting up with it, and nothing’s changed… Or it gets worse and they’re still sitting out from playing sport, or exercise completely
2. Next, do the RIGHT exercises - one of the best things to help you recover quickly and safely from an injury is to do the right series of progressed exercises - the right exercises given to you by a Physiotherapist will help reduce pain, and allow you to move freely and return to sport again quick - and make sure that the problems don’t come back any time soon.
3. Avoid “too much rest” - while rest is an important part of the recovery process, too much rest won’t do anything to help you recover quick. Many people believe that recovery means total rest from exercise. But in order for an injury to recover, blood flow is needed which rest prevents. It would really help if you were given appropriate recovery and strengthening exercises to heal the injury, alongside hands-on treatment, to get you active and healthy again as quickly as possible.
4. Get real, "hands-on" Physio - Physio is proven to help people with Sports Injuries. In fact at the Xcel Health we help people recover from Sports Injuries all year round. If your injury is stopping you from playing sport and keeping active, if it’s affecting your job, or if it threatens your independence and gets in the way of spending quality time with family and friends - Physiotherapy can help get you back to living the life you deserve as quickly as possible.
If you would like to know how the Physiotherapy team at Xcel Health (clinics in Sittingbourne and Maidstone) can help you return to being active as quickly and safely as possible - we invite you to start with a completely free, no-obligation, risk free appointment at one of our clinics: