Playing sports or engaging in vigorous exercise is great for your health, but it also comes with the risk of injury. Long training sessions and increased intensity both put strain on your body. Bones, joints, tendons and ligaments exposed to this repeated stress can become damaged, leading to pain and inflammation. Choosing the right treatment can help you get back to your regular routine as quickly as possible while minimizing the chance of lasting damage.

The sports in which people usually sustain injuries include football, basketball, volleyball, tennis, hockey, cycling, and cricket. When a sports injury occurs, it’s crucial to seek medical attention as soon as possible for prompt treatment and to prevent complications. 

Most teams have a dedicated sports physiotherapist who provides expert advice on the best treatment options to manage sports injuries. Check the top sports injury therapy options below for your reference.   

Home Treatment: RICE

Immediately following an injury, your best bet to prevent further damage is to start the well-known RICE therapy:

• Rest
• Ice
• Compression
• Elevation

Stop any activity when you feel pain, and start resting the affected area. Apply ice wrapped in a thin towel or cloth for 15 to 20 minutes at a time throughout the day to keep swelling at a minimum. If possible, wrap the area in a compression bandage or brace for added support and to prevent the buildup of fluid. Elevating the injured body part above heart level as often as possible also reduces swelling.

Natural Supplements

Over-the-counter pain relievers are often recommended for sports injuries, but these drugs interfere with the body’s inflammatory process and can actually impede healing. Natural alternatives support beneficial inflammation while reducing the associated pain. You can try:

Choose supplements without fillers and additives to get the most benefit and avoid possible reactions to artificial ingredients.

 Read the natural supplement product label or listing to know its content, and consider no list of ingredients as a red flag.

When considering supplements, one reminder to keep in mind is that it’s not a cure for the injury. Yes, a natural supplement can help reduce pain and inflammation but not the main problem. It’s still crucial to assess the root cause and extent of damage that the injury has caused to a joint, muscle, ligament, or bone. Natural supplements will only mask the main problem without proper assessment, prolonging the healing process.

Restricting Mobility

Although immobilizing an injury for too long can be detrimental to recovery, there are times when you need to stop moving completely and let the body work on healing. If movement is going to exacerbate the injury or contribute to permanent problems, your doctor may instruct you to wear a brace, sling or sprint. Severe injuries can require casts to prevent even the smallest movement from disrupting the healing process. Crutches and other mobility aids relieve pressure on the injured body part until it’s safe to resume weight-bearing activities.

Standard Physical Therapy

Working with a physical therapist to restore strength and range of motion is advisable if your injury puts you at risk for developing imbalances or losing flexibility. Depending on the type of injury, this therapy may involve manual manipulation of the area by the physical therapist or a regimen of low-impact stretches and exercises for you to do on your own.

Sports physiotherapy includes assessing and diagnosing injuries. A physiotherapist can design a personalized treatment plan. Physiotherapists can also help with rehabilitation and performance enhancement towards the recovery stage. 

Athletes or sports enthusiasts who sustained injuries can seek advice from a local physiotherapist. Local sports physiotherapists usually work at a Preston physiotherapy sports centre or other locations. Some physiotherapists also offer in-home services.

Stem Cell Regeneration

Some physicians are achieving favorable results by treating sports injuries with stem cell therapy. Stem cells are harvested from the fat, blood or marrow of the injured person and injected into the damaged area. These cells appear to have the ability to stimulate a self-healing response in the body by contributing to tissue regeneration.

Treating sports injuries with stem cell therapy hasn’t been tested in the long term, but experiential evidence suggests it may be a viable alternative to more invasive procedures. Since your own cells provide the basis for healing, the risks of complications may also be lower.

Surgical Procedures

Very serious injuries, such as completely torn connective tissue or broken bones, can require surgery to fix. These types of sports injuries are rare for moderate exercisers but can be a legitimate concern if you’re involved in competitive events requiring hours of daily training or contact sports in which your body is repeatedly subject to heavy impacts. For most injuries, doctors are able to perform surgery using the “keyhole” method instead of completely opening the area. In cases where joints have degenerated significantly, joint replacement may be recommended.

If you’re injured while working out or playing a sport, talk with your doctor to determine the best course of action. He or she can assess the extent of the damage and recommend the proper kind of therapy.