Sports injuries are very common and occur for many reasons such as not having adequate strength or flexibility for your activity, overworking yourself and exceeding your bodies limitation, or even changes in your environment.
COMMON SPORTS INJURIES INCLUDE:
- Sprained ankle
- Pulled Groin
- Strained hamstring
- Shin splints
- Knee injuries such as a torn ACL, tennis elbow etc.
With each sport and each injury, there is a wide variety of treatment options available to you. Sports-specific therapy is focused on your personalized sports needs because we understand that with each sport comes the potential for different types of injuries as well athletic capabilities.
Whether you’re a gymnastics competitor or on a rowing crew team, we want to make sure that we understand exactly what you need. In order to do this, we will do an initial evaluation to design a specific rehabilitation plan to focus on the skills needed for your specific sport. Each sport requires the use of different muscles and skills, so our goal is to rehabilitate, facilitate, and grow these specific muscles back to where they need to be. We want to help retrieve mobility, relieve pain, and enable comfortable movement for you again so you can get back to competing.
Rehabilitation Options After Sports Injuries
A sports injury can be devastating as it can be a season or career-ending. It is difficult physically and mentally to get through. Island Sports Physical Therapy offers sports rehabilitation to guide them on the path of recovery. Let us help you heal and become stronger and faster than ever before.
Who Can Get a Sports Injury?
You do not need to be on a team or in an organized tournament to get a sports injury. It is very common for people who live an active lifestyle to become injured. Whether you run every day or are an athlete, sports injuries are common among everyone. Each person handles the injury differently. Sports physical therapy in Suffolk County is here to provide you with the best treatments possible.
Causes of a Sports Injury
There is no true cause of a sports injury. It can happen in a split second due to accidents. Harsh impacts on your joints, poor quality of shoes, improper equipment and training, and hard collisions are the most common causes. There is no sign of when or how the injury will happen, but if it does, Island Sports Physical Therapy is here to help you.
Types of Sports Injuries
Sports injuries can range from as serious as an ACL tear to more common pulled muscles. The most common sports injury is a concussion. Head injuries are very common and one of the most serious injuries. Pulled ligaments in the shoulders are common among swimmers. Fractures, sprains, and broken bones can happen for any sport on land. Pulled muscles are very common and can take a long time to heal. It is important to stay hydrated and stretch before all physical activity.
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When to See a Doctor
It is important to see a doctor before the injury becomes worse. You know your body the best. If it is feeling unusual or has extreme pain in an area, you should contact Sports physical therapy in Suffolk County. Here are some signs of when to see a doctor:
- Difficulty Moving the Injured Area.
- Inability to Put Weight on the Arms or Legs.
- Deformity of the Injured Area.
- Bleeding or Skin Injury
- Constant Swelling or Redness.
Delaying treatment of an injury can cause the surrounding areas to become immobilized. For example, a knee injury can cause overcompensation of the foot and cause foot injuries. The misalignment of the hips can affect the knees and feet.
High-Risk Sports
Some sports have a higher injury rate than others. More physical and contact sports have a large increase in recurring injuries. Football, boxing, and men’s lacrosse are at higher risk of injury because of the physical aspect of the game. It is more common for women and girls to tear an ACL because of their biological makeup and wide hips.
What We Offer
Physical therapy is crucial to make a full recovery. Our team will create a recovery plan that is specific to your injury. The exercises and movements will help he3al the injury and make the surrounding muscles stronger. Everybody heals differently. We want to guide you at a rate that is safe for you to improve at. It is important to stay consistent and diligent with the recovery process.
Contact Us
If you are recovering from a sports injury, Island Sports Physical Therapy is here to help. Recovery can be a long and hard process. We want to guide you physically and mentally each step of the way. Check out our website and contact us today!
How Can Physical Therapy Help Me Avoid Surgery After A Sports Injury?
One of the things dreaded by most athletes is having to miss games due to an injury. All that time spent honing your craft and earning your spot as a starting player can be wiped away as a result of one unfortunate play. To make matters worse, you may be under the impression that a long, painful surgery is required to treat the injury. Luckily, our team at Island Sports Physical Therapy in Suffolk County, can help you avoid going under the knife by providing top-notch physical therapy services to help get you back with your team in no time!
Common Sports Injuries:
Throughout the regular grind of a sports season, it can become almost impossible to avoid injury. The staff at our Sports Physical Therapy in Suffolk County understands this and can treat patients dealing with some of the most common injuries that can occur during the season. Such injuries include:
- Sprains
- Strains
- Ligamentous injuries
- Swollen muscles
- Fractures
- Dislocations
Reducing Inflammation:
Swelling and inflammation are symptoms that tend to occur almost immediately following an injury. These symptoms can cause large amounts of pain and discomfort for athletes. While you may think surgery is required to correct the issue that is causing these symptoms, that is not always the case. Physical therapy can help reduce swelling and inflammation in the affected area, without needing to go under the knife.
Regaining Your Strength:
Whether it be in the muscles or joints, regaining strength is necessary before returning to your game. Physical therapy allows the body to heal from the inside, as opposed to internal surgical methods. By performing strengthening exercises with our physical therapist, the injured areas can begin to heal themselves without the aid of foreign objects. To help start the process of regaining your strength, you may be instructed to perform the following exercises, depending on your injury:
- Pilates crunches.
- Forearm planks.
- Knee extensions.
- Heel raises.
- Shoulder swings.
- Chest expansions.
Strengthening the portions of your body around the injury may also help you avoid surgery. Different parts of the body rely on one another for movement and support. When one becomes injured, strengthening the surrounding area can help pick up the slack. During a visit to our Sports Physical Therapy in Suffolk County, you will do just that.
Improving Range of Motion:
Having a full range of motion is an essential part of excelling at a sport, and certain injuries can impede the ability to move freely. One of the main goals of physical therapy, however, is to return range of motion to the levels they were at before suffering from an injury. This can be done through different stretches and exercises carefully planned out by our physical therapists. With the help of Island Sports Physical Therapy, you can get back to moving without the need for a surgical procedure.
Eliminating Your Pain:
When the body is affected by weakness, inflammation, and limited range of motion, pain is never far behind. Playing through pain may seem like a viable option, but it can diminish your athletic output in the long run. This may be a reason why so many athletes opt to undergo surgery; they want the pain to go away. However, surgery isn’t always the best option. Because of the reasons mentioned above, physical therapy is an excellent way to alleviate your pain if you have suffered a sports injury.
At Island Sports Physical Therapy, the talented staff at our Sports Physical Therapy in Suffolk County can help relieve your pain by reducing inflammation, regaining strength, and increasing range of motion!
Contact Us Today!
Unfortunately, injuries are just a part of life. Regardless of how prepared you are or how safely you play, being an athlete puts you at an increased risk of suffering a wide variety of injuries. If you have recently suffered an injury while playing your sport, surgery may not be the only option for you.
Contact us at Island Sports Physical Therapy in Suffolk County to see how our services can help you avoid the long, painful process of getting surgery. We will work to develop a personalized rehabilitation plan to help you avoid surgery and get you back in the game as soon as possible!
Physical Therapy Exercises For Knee Pain
Many people suffer from knee pain in their life. The most common causes of knee pain are related to aging, injury, or repeated stress on the knee.
- Sprained or strained ligaments
- Cartilage tears
- Tendonitis
- Arthritis
- Mechanical problems
The most common types of arthritis that many people suffer from are known as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, pseudogout, and septic arthritis. Since mechanical problems can also cause problems, these problems include loose body, iliotibial band syndrome, dislocated kneecap, or hip or foot pain.
Symptoms of knee pain:
- Swelling
- Stiffness
- Redness
- Warm to the touch
- Weakness
- Instability
- Popping or crunching noises
- Inability to fully straighten the knee
Possible reasons for knee pain:
- Excess weight
- Lack of muscle flexibility or strength
- Certain sports or occupations
- Previous injury
Sports physical therapy in Suffolk County involves a thorough evaluation and assessment of your lower extremity from your foot to your hip. Our Physical Therapists will assess the problem and prescribe the right treatment to you, which will include various exercises which will decrease your knee pain and improve your overall mobility. We will ease your muscle and joint pain by attempting different methods to strengthen your muscles and make your body move and feel better. Some exercises to help reduce knee pain include walking, water aerobics, cycling, swimming, yoga, and strength training.
Some exercises for knee pain:
- Straight leg raises: Start by lying on your back on an exercise mat. . Bend one knee and keep that same foot anchored to the floor. Straighten the other leg lift ii up to the same height as the bent knee.
- The bridge: while laying on the floor, bend both of your knees while keeping your feet about hip-width apart. Lift your hips as high as possible, creating a bridge. Then try lifting your toes up while anchoring your heels to the floor and gently lowering your hips back down briefly.
- Prone straight leg raises: while on your stomach, put your legs straight. Squeeze your glutes and lifts one leg up toward the ceiling, holding the position for 3 to 5 seconds.
- Wall squats: stand with your back against the wall and your feet shoulder-width apart. End tour knees slowly, and keep your entire back pressed to the wall until your things are almost parallel to the floor. Hold for 5-10 seconds, then use your glute muscles to work slowly back up to a standing-against-the-wall position
- Step-ups: Stand straight up on a step of a staircase at home or a step bench at a certain height that your physical therapist recommends. Tighten your abs and then bend one knee. You will then slowly lower the opposite toes to the floor and rise back to the standing position on the step.
Contact Sports physical therapy in Suffolk County
Gentle stretching and other strengthening exercises will help strengthen the muscles that support your knee joint. By strengthening these muscles, it can reduce the impact and stress on your knee and hopefully help make your knee joint move more easily. Before starting any of the exercises listed above, make sure to contact your doctor and physical therapist to make sure you won’t be causing more injury to your knee. Since our goal for Sports physical therapy in Suffolk County is to ease your pain while also aiding in the improvement of your flexibility and range of motion. Please contact Island Sports Physical Therapy so we can help you!
Can Physical Therapy Help A Groin Strain?
Do you think you pulled or strained your groin from exercising? A groin pull or strain occurs commonly when there is too much stress on your groin muscles and leads to over-stretching them. It’s very uncomfortable and should not be left untreated. In most cases, this occurs in athletes, and physical therapy is the best solution to treat the pain and improve strength and mobility. Looking for Sports physical therapy in Suffolk County? Island Sports Physical Therapy (ISPT) specializes in this area of care, and our therapist will work diligently to find the best treatment for you.
What does a groin strain feel like?
It is very quick and easy to tell whether you pulled or strained your groin because it will occur in the area and make it very difficult to move without feeling pain or discomfort. Some symptoms of a pulled groin include:
- Pain or discomfort in the groin or thigh area
- Pain when you try to put your legs together or raise your knee
- Popping or snapping feeling
Strain Severity Types
The symptoms you feel when you pull or strain your groin vary in the severity of the injury. A strain is divided into three types of severity which include:
- 1st degree: Mild pain and little loss of strength or movement
- 2nd degree: Moderate pain and mild loss of strength and tissue damage
- 3rd degree: severe pain and severe loss of strength and tear
Diagnosing a groin strain at physical therapy in Garden, our therapist will perform a physical exam and run tests like an X-Ray to detect and treat the issue.
Groin Strain Prevention
To prevent future injuries like another groin strain, ensure you perform the following steps before doing physical activities:
- Stretching
- Warming up legs and groin by doing a light jog or walking
- Wear comfortable footwear
- Increase physical activity intensity slowly
- Stretch regularly, even if not doing any physical activity
Groin Strain Treatment
A groin strain can heal on its own with the help of rest and time to recover. However, a couple of steps can be taken to speed up recovery and get you back on your feet. To speed up the healing process, you can:
- Ice the inside of your thigh, which reduces pain and swelling
- About 20 minutes, every 4 hours for 2-3 days
- Compressing your thigh with a bandage or tape
- Anti-inflammatory painkillers that you can safely take
In some cases, the above techniques do not speed or treat an individual’s groin strain which requires professional assistance. Looking into Sports physical therapy in Suffolk County, at Island Sports Physical Therapy is the ideal step for you to take.
Physical Therapy
Our therapist will diligently work with patients to ensure they suggest the best possible treatment. Various exercises and stretches will be recommended to do with and without your therapist to ensure you are consistently taking care of your strained groin to speed up the healing process.
Sports physical therapy in Suffolk County
The best solution for you is to seek Sports physical therapy in Suffolk County at Island Sports Physical Therapy because our therapist will only advise professional treatment to get you back on your feet as soon as possible. We understand how important physical demand is in playing sports, and we want to help you find the ideal treatment to recover and safely get you back to playing. Don’t hesitate to contact us or visit our website to schedule an appointment!
