Stages of Sports Rehab

No matter what level of sport or physical activity you play, no one likes having to put up with injuries or constant reoccurring niggles/pain. However, what a lot of people fail to realise is that being "pain-free" post-injury does not necessarily mean you are fully recovered. After an injury, even after achieving pain-free movement, our strength, flexibility, mobility and stability can all still be significantly reduced.

There are in fact many stages of the rehabilitation process for sports injuries that will ensure you recover back to your pre-injury level of performance. Thus, if you don't fully complete your rehab then you may be putting yourself at risk of further injury down the track, or won't fully recover from your current injury.

Listed below are the stages of the rehabilitation process for a sports injury : 1) Acute Rehabilitation - Protect, Pain relief, Promote healing & Recovery

2) Localised Exercise Rehabilitation – Exercise rehab focused on restoring flexibility, mobility, strength and stability at the site of the injury

3) Functional Rehabilitation – Exercise rehab focused on improving functional strength and movement patterns

4) Sports Specific Rehabilitation – Exercise rehab based on specific movements or actions required from your sport

5) Sports Performance – Sport specific conditioning, improving speed, agility, power, reaction time, proprioception etc. This allows for a safer transition back to your sport and ensures you retain to your pre-injury level of performance

6) Injury Prevention – On-going management and sports specific strength training to prevent future injuries

Which one have you missed? If you need help, reach out to our caring and friendly team at our Chatswood or North Sydney Physiotherapy Clinic. You’ll be glad you did!