People who love to play sports or engage in athletic activities derive tremendous pleasure from their body's ability to stretch, run, lift, throw, jump, swim, and so on. When an acute or overuse injury puts an athlete out of commission and makes them unable to participate in their favorite activities, the effect can be devastating. Fortunately, sports injury rehabilitation helps injured athletes recover and get back to the activities they love.
Kinetic sports rehabilitation and physical therapy help people of all ages who have medical conditions, illnesses, or injuries that limit their regular ability to move and function.
A customized physical therapy program can help individuals return to their prior level of functioning and encourage activities and lifestyle changes that can help prevent further injury and improve overall health and well-being.
In this guide, we'll tell you what kinetic sports and physical therapy are and how these wellness services can aid in performance and health.
Kinetic Sports Rehabilitation
Kinetic sports rehabilitation aims to restore muscle strength, endurance, and power, improve flexibility, proprioception, and balance, as well as more sports-specific or functional exercises. This specific form of rehab is a safe and therapeutic approach that helps individuals effectively treat pain and return to normal function. A physical therapy and sports rehab plan may include any of the following modalities, treatments, and training:
Targeted exercises to help the patient return to pre-injury function
Personalized exercises to improve mobility restrictions
Therapy to help reduce susceptibility to further injury
Preparation and education to avoid recurring injury episodes
Gait training
Ultrasound
Cervical/lumbar traction
Conditions that Kinetic Sports Rehabilitation May Treat
Sports rehab treats a wide range of conditions, including acute sports injuries; strains; sprains; muscle, tendon, and ligament repairs; tendonitis; hand injuries; shoulder dislocation; a foot or ankle dysfunction; and surgery rehab. Sports rehab also benefits those with
ACL reconstruction
Meniscus tears
Rotator cuff repair
Back, shoulder, knee, neck, and hip pain
Nerve pain and injuries
Acute and chronic musculoskeletal injuries
And more
Difference Between Kinetic Sports Rehabilitation and Physical Therapy
Kinetic sports rehabilitation is an umbrella term used to describe the overarching process that a person goes through to reach their optimal physical functioning for the purposes of sports and functional activities.
A person going through sports rehabilitation might work with a variety of sports professionals who use different intervention techniques, such as medication or injections administered by a physiatrist, home exercise programs prescribed by a physical therapist, retraining in activities of daily living with an occupational therapist, and much more. Physical rehabilitation describes the process that a person goes through to reach optimal physical functioning.
Physical therapy refers specifically to the kinetic physical therapy profession. They are movement specialists and help restore a person's physical functioning through assessment, goal setting, and a variety of interventions like strengthening, alignment, balance and vestibular training, and other therapeutic modalities.
Physical Therapy Services
Physical therapy treats individuals who have limited functional mobility in some part of their body. Recovery is achieved through evaluation, assessment, and treatment. The goal is maximal function.
Physical therapists are medical professionals who have gone through years of training and are licensed to treat patients. A physical therapist will not just do exercises with you. They can also help with pain management and preventative care.
Conditions our physical therapists treat can include:
Pain:
Injuries:
Foot and ankle injuries
Knee and hip injuries
Shoulder, elbow, and wrist injuries
Spine injuries
Sports and athletic injuries
Work injuries/workers' compensation
Rehabilitation after a stroke or brain injury
Pre-and post-surgical rehabilitation
Benefits of Physical Therapy
Whether you sustained a physical injury playing a sport or you are suffering from a degenerative condition, physical therapy under the supervision of a licensed physical therapist can prove to have many benefits. Many doctors consider it a safer and less intrusive approach to treat a chronic problem as opposed to medication therapy or surgery. Some of the many benefits of physical rehabilitation include:
Manage pain – Physical therapy techniques and therapeutic exercises can help mobilize your joints and soft tissue and restore muscle function, reducing aches or eliminating pain entirely.
Maximize movement – Physical therapists are able to identify, diagnose and treat movement-related issues. Each treatment plan is custom designed for each person's individual challenges and outcome goals.
Address other health issues – Customizing a physical therapy plan can help individuals with a wide variety of underlying health issues such as diabetes, heart or lung disease, or vascular conditions.
Injury prevention – Creating an exercise regimen that targets and strengthens weak muscle groups and joints can help prevent future injuries from occurring.
Avoid surgery – While surgery is unavoidable in some cases, in many instances, physical therapy assists healing and improves physical health to the point that surgery may no longer be necessary.
Avoid medication dependence – Medications can be prescribed to help individuals deal with pain, but many of them (opioids) can result in dependency issues. Physical therapy can help the need to take these medications.
A physical therapist has experience diagnosing physical abnormalities, restoring physical function and mobility, maintaining physical function, and promoting physical activity and proper function.
Sports Therapy Services
Injuries are quite common when playing a sport. Even the best of athletes can't escape this cruel fact. However, this doesn't mean that injuries have to be devastating or permanent. Proper recovery and help from sports therapy can facilitate fast and safe recovery from injuries. Sports therapy isn't just for professional-level athletes. It isn't an exclusive treatment available to national-level athletes. Sports therapy is for all athletes, including the professional, the elite, the collegiate, the high school, or even the recreational athlete. Sports therapy welcomes all levels of athletes.
Injuries have a negative impact on an athlete's performance. We provide dedicated staff that will listen intently, ask the right questions, and understands the entire scope of the athlete's injury. Then our sports experts provide services that can improve performance or help an athlete recover back to peak performance. Natural Care Chiropractic helps athletes:
Recover from injuries
Reduce the chance of future injuries
Maintain peak performance throughout the season
Improve performance
Sports Injury Rehabilitation
If you partake in sport, more than likely, at some point, you will probably suffer a sports injury. It happens to all of us, but the way we deal with injury rehabilitation is the key in order to move forward. If sports injuries are not treated correctly in the initial stages, even more, tissue damage could potentially take place.
Although the methods for sports injury rehabilitation vary with each individual case, the framework for recovery is relatively consistent. At Natural Care Chiropractic, we have many years of experience, and these are the outlines of our recovery program.
In a nutshell, sports injury rehabilitation is the restoration of optimal form and function following a sports injury. For older athletes, in particular, it can be the key to living a fulfilling life. Although that may sound somewhat melodramatic, many studies have shown links between activity levels and quality of life in older adults, and sports injury rehabilitation helps injured athletes of all ages return to pre-injury fitness levels and prevent re-injury.
One of the great benefits of youth is the ability to bounce back. As we get older, we lose some of that automatic resilience. Our bodies change, and we lose muscle mass and become less flexible. And because we've been around longer, many of us develop some arthritic changes in our weight-bearing joints. When an older athlete suffers a sports injury, more rest is required for recovery than a younger athlete. And during that time, deconditioning happens quickly.
A quality rehabilitation program with a licensed physical therapist will address pain management and provide a prescription for progressive exercises to increase flexibility and range of motion, strength and endurance, and balance and coordination so that the injured athlete can recover and get back to the activities that bring the most enjoyment and satisfaction out of life.
Sports Nutrition
Sports nutrition is the foundation of athletic success. It is a well-designed nutrition plan that allows active adults and athletes to perform at their best. It supplies the right food type, energy, nutrients, and fluids to keep the body well hydrated and function at peak levels. A sports nutrition diet may vary day to day, depending on specific energy demands. Sports nutrition is unique to each person and is planned according to individual goals.
Training programs require a well-designed diet for active adults and competitive athletes. A balanced nutrition plan should include sufficient calories and healthy macronutrients to optimize athletic performance. The body will use carbohydrates or fats as the main energy source, depending on exercise intensity and duration.
Inadequate caloric intake can impede athletic training and performance. Adequate hydration and electrolytes are essential for health and athletic performance. We all lose water throughout the day, but active adults and athletes lose additional body water sweating during intense workouts.
Dehydration is the process of losing body water, and fluid deficits greater than 2 percent of body weight can compromise athletic performance and cognitive function. Athletes are recommended to use fluid replacement strategies as part of their sports nutrition to maintain optimal body functioning.
Rehydration with water and sports drinks containing sodium are often consumed depending on the athlete and sporting event.
Kinetic Physical therapy and Wellness
Experiencing a serious injury as an athlete can make your sports life flash before your eyes. One minute you're performing at your absolute peak; the next, you're down on the ground, thinking it might be all over. It doesn't have to be, of course.
There are many cases when athletes have come back from what appeared to be career-ending injuries. The two pillars of a long and fruitful career in sports are preparation and discipline. Injury happens all too often when players rely too much on raw talent and instinct and not enough on conditioning.
Physical rehabilitation takes heart, time, dedication, and discipline. Replacing lost dexterity, strength, and stamina is half the battle, of course. Avoiding re-injury and permanent loss of capabilities must also be prioritized.
Being out of the game is a frustrating and confidence-killing experience. It is a physical therapist's goal to get you back on that field as fast as possible.
The evolution of sports medicine has afforded us a much better understanding and treatment, which makes it easier to get you back on the field.
At Natural Care Chiropractic, we use the latest equipment and techniques to treat your injuries. Our therapy methods are the same ones used in the big leagues. Our staff also understands the pain and powerlessness that comes with needing physical therapy, and they're here to support you every step of the way.
Here, you'll receive sport-specific, personally-tailored physical rehab with full transparency along the way. If you're someone who struggles with chronic injuries or would like a second look at an injury that has been bothering you, schedule an appointment with us.
Let us give you the confidence and peace of mind that professional rehabilitation can provide.
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