Sports injuries happen all the time in professional sports, minor league sports, and recreational sports. Injuries occur on the rugby field, as they do on the golf course or a cricket field. Impact sports and no-contact sports both experience their fair share of injuries. If you experience an injury, how should you treat it, and how long should you expect to be out of the game?
Identify The Severity Of The Injury
The first thing you need to do is identify the severity of the injury. If you can walk it off, chances are some ice and over the counter medicine will help. If you need to be carted or carried off of the field, you may need an expert opinion, x-rays, and even surgery. After that you may require physical therapy, clinics like Melbourne CBD Physiotherapy have treatment options for athletes that compete on all levels. But, before you decide on treatment, you need to know what happened. If you are unsure about the complexity of the injury, rest for a day and let your body tell you how bad it is. If it’s really bad, it will continue hurting, and you should seek medical treatment immediately. If it’s minor, applying ice and taking some Tylenol might provide enough relief to get you through the night.
Rest & Recover
If you went to the doctor and they identified the problem, don’t be in a rush to get back out on the field. Follow the instructions from your medical practitioner to ensure you recover well and that your body is ready to return to sport. Proper rest, stretching, ice packs, heat pads, and topical rubs should assist with your recovery. Your primary doctor may also recommend that you see a specialist to rehab your injury, these specialists are needed to accurately target the injury, make sure the body is being stretched and treated correctly for a prompt recovery.
Self Treatment Options
If your injury doesn’t require a doctor’s visit, you will need to tend to your wounds without medical help. Keeping pressure off your injury will be necessary, as will wrapping it and making sure it doesn’t worsen. Self-treatment is necessary, and you should take the time to research your injury, find the proper way to treat it, and take action to make sure you recover soon before returning to sport.
Potential Risks Of Rushing Recovery
If you are an athlete, it can be hard not to be in the game. Some athletes are so passionate about their sport that they rush to return before the injury has had a chance to heal fully. This isn’t good on many levels, and the reasons are pretty obvious. Rushing to return to sport before you have recovered can make the injury worse, and as a result, keep you out of the game for even longer than what was initially necessary.
Don’t Worry – Just Compete
If fear of injury prevents you from enjoying a sport, don’t worry about it, just compete. Injuries can happen at any place, at any time. Practice and preparation will help you avoid injury, as will proper stretching and pre-game warmups. The body is a machine, and you need to treat it like one. Let it warm up, keep it fueled, and it will perform at a high level for you.
