Injury rehabilitation is a very important part of treatment. It aims to restore mobility, strength, endurance, coordination, pain-free movement, explosiveness, and function during athletic activity. Movement training should begin as early as possible without any load, which is then gradually increased. Strength training can start with adapted exercises, initially with light loads, later gradually increased. Once adequate mobility and strength have been achieved, one can gradually transition to concentric-eccentric training with low loads. A very important part of rehabilitation training is balance and coordination exercises. Tissue damage also affects neuromuscular functions (nerves). Examples of such training include the use of a balance board, a trampoline, rope skipping, etc.
Full range of motion, strength, and function before returning to sports!!
Treatment methods
Compression
Apply a pressure bandage immediately to reduce the space available for bleeding within the injured tissue. If a pressure bandage is applied right away, it can essentially stop the bleeding completely. After 20–40 minutes, replace the pressure bandage with a compression bandage. Use this until the swelling has subsided (4–7 days).
Rest and relief
Elevating the injured area is very important for reducing blood flow to it. An injured limb should be kept as high as possible during the first 30–60 minutes. After that, elevate it as often as possible during the first two days, especially at night. Active rest is a concept that involves exercising the parts of the body that are not injured.
Cold
Cold therapy affects only superficial blood flow. A muscle strain 2–3 cm deep requires 30–45 minutes of cold therapy. Some studies suggest that cooling reduces blood flow, but not to an extent that one can expect any significant effect on bleeding. Acute cold therapy, however, effectively alleviates pain.
Heating
Heat should not be applied during the acute phase, but rather after about two days, once the bleeding has stopped. Heat has a beneficial effect on the healing process.
Injuries that require medical attention
- Unconsciousness
- Breathing difficulties following trauma
- Neck pain following trauma
- Abdominal pain
- Broken bone
- Severe ligament injury
- Severe muscle injury
- Dislocation
- Eye injuries
- Deep lacerations
- Injury with an uncertain diagnosis
Inflammation
Inflammation is the body’s natural “response” to tissue damage. The purpose
of inflammation is to protect and heal damaged tissue.
Common symptoms of inflammation include:
- Redness
- Swelling
- Rise in temperature
- Pain
- Functional limitation