Sports Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation Clinic in 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.
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.
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.
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.
No two ACL rehabilitations are the same, with a range of factors impacting the rehab time-frame.
SHOULDER RECONSTRUCTION
Reconstructive shoulder surgeries range in types, including rotator cuff repair, labrum repair and stabilisations.
With a rehab length ranging from 6-9 months, it is important to regain your strength, mobility and function of the shoulder to prevent re-injury or long-term issues.
REHAB TIME-FRAME =
Approx. 6-9 Months
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.
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.
REHAB TIME-FRAME =
Approx. 9-12 Months
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).
It is important that these are not missed and are managed with optimal rest and rehabiliation.
REHAB TIME-FRAME =
Approx. 3-9 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.