SPORTS INJURY REHABILITATION FACILITY - SYDNEY
LONG-TERM INJURY MANAGEMENT
Unfortunately, significant musculoskeletal injuries are quite common. These injuries involve a significant period of rehabilitation, a journey which is both physically and mentally challenging.
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Optimal outcomes from these injuries involve a comprehensive rehabilitation over a long period of time. This requires detailed direction by a sports physiotherapist on what to do (rehab plans & programs), consistency and compliance to executing your rehab & access to the resources you need.
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This is why we created our Long-Term Injury Rehabilitation Program! The optimal sports physiotherapy and injury rehabiliation service and facility in Sydney.
TYPES OF INJURIES
There are two main types of sports injury - acute & overuse injuries.
OVERUSE INJURIES
Overuse injuries occur as a result of loading overtime, growth & biomechanical factors. They result from a tissue or structure being overloaded causing tissue damage or irritation.
The management of overuse injuries is based around deloading and then progressively reloading the injured tissue, whilst addressing the contributing factors and working to make the tissue or body segment more resilient. An example of an overuse injury is a bone stress injury.
ACUTE INJURIES
Acute injuries on the other hand occur in an instant generally from an incident that acutely positions the tissue to a force or load that it cannot handle. A large number of things can contribute - speed, force, body position, strength, genetics, mobility, tissue strength, movement, external forces or fatigue. Acute injuries range from low grade tissue damage to complete rupture.
No matter what the type of sports injury, the more significant ones often require an extended period of rehabilitation, with or without surgical management.
Below outlines some examples of injuries that require longer-term rehabilitation.
SPORTS INJURY EXAMPLES
ACL INJURY
Anterior Cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are increasingly common, accounting for around 50% of all knee injuries, and requiring an extensive long-term rehabilitation.
Management options do now range and include both surgical and non-surgical pending the type of injury and your functional goals.
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No two ACL rehabilitations are the same, with a range of factors impacting the rehab time-frame.
SHOULDER INSTABILITY INJURIES
Shoulder instability reconstructive shoulder surgeries range in types, including labrum repair, Laterjet and capsular stabilisations.
With a rehab length ranging from 6-9 months, it is important to regain your range of motion, strength, mobility and function of the shoulder to prevent re-injury or long-term issues.
ANKLE SYNDESMOSIS INJURY
A syndesmotic ankle injury involves damage to the integrity of the stability of the distal tibia and fibular ('high ankle region').
Ranging from low grade injuries to extensive trauma injuring bone, ligament and extending into the ankle joint.
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Unstable syndesmotic injuries require surgical stabilisation and a long period of rehabilitation to restore joint mechanics, strength and stability.
REHAB TIME-FRAME =
Approx. 3-9 Months
ACHILLES RUPTURE
The Achilles tendon is responsible for the transmission of power from the calf to the heel and foot, and as such is critical for walking and running.
Injuries to the Achilles tendon can be managed with and without surgery, but in both cases require an extensive and detailed rehabilitation to ensure full function, strength and power is restored.
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LUMBAR STRESS INJURIES
Lumbar spine (or low back) stress injuries are quite common in the younger athletic population.
This injuries range from bone stress to full fractures and are quite common in athletes participating in sports that require a lot of extension and rotation forces (e.g. cricket & gymnastics).
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It is important that these are not missed and are managed with optimal rest and rehabiliation.
REHAB TIME-FRAME =
Approx. 3-9 Months
PATELLOFEMORAL JOINT INJURIES
The knee cap or patello-femoral joint is an area that is commonly injured in sport.
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These injuries can include PFPS (overuse), acute instability or growth related presentations.
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Patello-femoral joint injuries can be quite debilitating and require detailed assessment and rehabilitation to ensure optimal long-term outcomes.
REHAB TIME-FRAME =
Approx. 2-6 Months
LISFRANC JOINT INJURIES
The lisfranc joint is situated in the mid-foot and is a key region of the foot that needs to withstand high forces.
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Injury to this joint can include damage to the bones, ligaments or joint surface.
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A high-grade injury that results in instability needs to be surgically managed to ensure a quality long-term outcome.
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REHAB TIME-FRAME =
Approx. 6-9 Months
ROTATOR CUFF INJURIES
The rotator cuff muscles and tendons are the key stabilisers of the shoulder joint.
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As a result this group of muscle are prone to injuries which range from overuse to acute tears which can be managed with or without surgery.
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REHAB TIME-FRAME =
Approx. 2-9 Months
KNEE CARTILAGE & MENISCUS INJURIES
The cartilage tissues in the knee joint include the medial and lateral meniscus and the articular chondral cartilage.
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Injury to these tissues can range in severity from degenerative type injuries to more acute tears.
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They require rehabilitation to ensure optimal short-term outcomes and long-term knee joint health.
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REHAB TIME-FRAME =
Approx. 6-9 Months
OTHER INJURIES:
There are many other injuries that involve long-term rehabilitation, including operative and non-operative back, foot, hip, elbow and wrist/hand injuries (and more!).
If you would like to discuss your injury and optimal rehabilitation plan, register an enquiry now and we will organise a call to discuss.
FAQs
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What is the purpose of injury rehabilitation?With time, it is true that most sports injuries will settle and heal. However the body is not very good at restoring an injured area back to ‘normal’ particularly getting back full strength & power. This often means that other issues occur or worse still, you reinjure the same thing. The purpose of injury rehabilitation is to not only speed up the recovery process, but also ensure that all aspects of the injured area return back to ‘normal’. Or better still, stronger and more resilient than before the injury.
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What are the important steps to consider in the rehabilitation of sports injuries?Sports injury rehabilitation can be broken down into 6 key steps or stages. Tissue Repair - This is when we need to protect the injured tissue and make sure it heals optimally. Reloading - returning to normal functional movement patterns with the restoration of full range of motion and function. Rebuilding - in this step we look to build the injured area back up in strength & power . Returning to Run Return to Training - guided staged return to training or sport and fitness activities starting with controlled skills, progressing to full sports training. Return to Sport - Full functional recovery, returning fully to participate in sport or unrestricted fitness activities. Resilience & Injury Prevention - the ongoing injury prevention training to make sure you maintain your strength and continue to be resilient to sporting injury.
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What does a Sports Physiotherapist do?Sports Physiotherapists are specialists in sports injury management. This includes the diagnosis of the injury and the best management and rehabilitation plan to get you back to doing what you love. Sports Physiotherapists do everything from hands-on on treatment (massage, joint mobilisations & dry needling) to gym and field based exercise programming and coaching. The team of sports physiotherapists are specialists in sport injury management and rehabilitation and we are designed to provide you with everything you need to recover from your sports injury with the best possible outcome.
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Why do elite athletes return from a sports injury so quickly & look so good when they are back playing?Elite athletes have access to all of the resources they need to recover, which is why they get back quickly and are able to return to sport competing at such a high level. This includes: Seeing their sports physiotherapist often - regular treatment and ‘touch-points’ to check in progress and monitor them A detailed rehabilitation plan that minimises their deconditioning, is sports specific and is targeted to fixing the injury. Access to coaching and support - they complete their rehab with their physio and team, surrounded and supported. Access to all of the rehabilitation machines and technology to assist them in their recovery (e.g. Blood Flow Restriction (BFR), Compex, GameReady). Our long-term rehabilitation program is modelled off this, designed to give you access to these same resources to ensure you can also access this when you are rehabilitating your sports injury.
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Why is it necessary to have some understanding about the rehabilitation of injuries?Understanding what you have injured (aka getting an accurate diagnosis of your injury) and being provided with an injury rehabilitation plan is vital to your recovery. Injury rehabilitation can be a long process (12 months for ACL injuries). It is a difficult journey to do on your own, so it is really important to find sport and rehabilitation professionals to help guide your recovery. This is the best path to optimal short and long-term outcomes following a sports injury.
