Sports teams know better than to rely on chance to help them win. Whether it’s football, soccer, basketball, or even tennis, you can’t rely on good luck to get you by. It’s possible that your opponents will mess up, allowing you to take control and win. It’s also possible they won’t—so you can never really bank on someone else’s mistakes to do well. While chance can affect some games, most of the outcome is related to skill and making the most of the opportunities in front of you. If you wouldn’t leave a game up to chance, why should you do the same for your injury healing? Physical therapy is an important aspect of a full and healthy recovery—so you shouldn’t neglect it.
Sports injuries happen for all sorts of reasons—an insufficient warm-up, poor conditioning, bad technique, worn out equipment, or even just plain old accidents. No matter why it happens, the pain will continue to dog you and cause mobility issues until the damage is treated and allowed to heal properly. Physical therapy is a critical part of the healing process for anyone who takes their body, their health, and their ability to be active seriously.
Why? Well, as injuries heal, you don’t automatically get back all of your strength, range of motion, or flexibility. The tissues may be repaired, but they are much weaker and stiffer than they were when you got hurt. If you try to jump right back into a game like that, you’re feet won’t be able to keep up. You’ll just hurt yourself again.
Instead, physical therapy exercises help your tissues recover faster and rebuild their normal power. Strengthening exercises work your muscles and connective tissues, stimulating them to get stronger and work more effectively. Flexibility and range of motion activities combat stiffness and keep your joints moveable. The specific exercises will vary depending on your injury and the sports you play, but activities like pencil lifting, walking on your toes, and stretching your calves are common.
Don’t take physical therapy for granted. If you’re looking to enhance your healing and get back into sports after an injury, contact us at Next Step Foot & Ankle Clinic in Pleasanton, TX. We’ll be happy to help you. Call (830) 569-3338 to make an appointment with us.
