Getting injured while playing sport is never fun. It means time on the sidelines, an inevitable loss of both fitness and confidence and a long hard slog in rehabilitation. If sport and physical activity is a major part of your life then an injury is one of the worst possible things that can befall you. But they do happen and frankly, if you are active, they are almost inevitable. Doing the recovery work correctly is the key to getting back onto the track or field quickly, but what exactly does that mean? And if you are not a professional athlete how can you manage the costs that are involved? Here are a few tips to help you fight your way back to the field.
Don’t be cheap
If you have injured yourself you need to treat the rehabilitation process appropriately – there is no space to skimp on costs. It is better to spend a bit more in the short term than to be injured and in recovery for a longer period, paying less for longer. Make use of the best medical equipment suppliers available for things like air-boots, braces and crutches. The benefit that they will bring to your progress is enormous.
Don’t play things down
Amateur athletes have a tendency to play down the severity of their injuries, leaving a bad situation to get worse before they eventually go and seek help. This is probably due to the unwillingness to spend money on visiting a doctor or a physiotherapist, but the truth is, the sooner you get your issue looked at the sooner you can get it treated. Pulled muscles, breaks and strain do not heal properly by themselves, so consult the right people and do it as soon as possible.
Time your come back
Just because you can walk without feeling any pain, doesn’t mean that the injury is gone. So many amateur athletes make the mistake of returning to action too quickly, thinking that they are fully recovered. Injuries can take a lot longer to heal than we realise and be having had one, the athlete needs to do strength training before returning to the fray of fully competitive action. If you return too soon the sad reality is that you will be back on the sideline before you know it with a recurrence of the initial injury – and the second time it will almost certainly be more serious than the first.
Do your rehab properly
Recovering from the injury is not a passive process, it generally comes with an onerous rehabilitation programme. Doing this programme properly is probably the most vital part of the whole health recovery process and you need to follow the instructions closely. It might involve doing uncomfortable things or performing actions which to you appear to have no benefit, but trust your medical advisors and listen to them. They have years of experience and have studied situations like yours and if they have given you a list of exercises that need to be done, just do them. You will reap the benefits for years to come.