Injuries are an unfortunate risk that comes with playing sports. After an athlete suffers an injury, many times they don’t treat the injury properly which causes a delayed or incomplete recovery and more time on the sidelines. This can be due to the athlete simply not knowing what to do, ignoring the injury, or getting bad medical advice/treatment.
I want to briefly discuss 7 common mistakes athletes make when they get injured so that you (or your son/daughter) won’t do any of them and can get back to playing as fast (and safely) as possible.
1- Playing Through the Pain
I’ve played sports all my life and I will be the first to tell you that I’ve tried to play through pain on more than one occasion. I can also tell you that it didn’t go well and I definitely did more harm than good. And I wish someone had been there to stop me from playing.
When you feel pain when playing (or training), that is your body’s alarm system going off telling you “Stop! Something is not right and you need to do something about it!”
When you play through pain, your body is going to compensate in ways to try to minimize that pain which may put other areas of your body at risk for injury.
I get that you don’t want to stop playing – I’ve been there – but you have to ask yourself if it’s all worth it and if you’re doing more damage than good. So when you get pain while playing or suffer an injury, seek out the appropriate medical care (see more about that below)
2 – Thinking It Will Go Away On Its Own
Many times, athletes will shrug off an injury as no big deal and think that it will just take some time for it to go away. The problem with that is athletic injuries tend to not go away on their own. They are typically more complex and require the help of a medical professional.
Since athletics involve the entire body working as a whole, even a minor injury/issue can have big ramifications (i.e. cause a more serious injury).
3 – Waiting Too Long To Do Something About It
If you are guilty of #1 and #2, then you’re more than likely to be guilty of this one too. The longer you wait to take care of an injury/pain, the harder it is to get rid of it and the longer it will take to get back to 100%. So early recognition and treatment of an injury will give you the best outcome.
What do you have to lose by getting expert medical advice on your injury/pain!? And since I know that many of you don’t know where to start, I offer FREE phone consultations (516-234-6856) where you can ask me ANYTHING you want about your injury/pain.
4 – Neglecting To See a Physical Therapist
Let’s say you decided to see a medical professional about your injury/pain and you saw a physician who told you to just take some pills, ice it and it will go away on it’s own (see #2)….simply put, that’s just not going to cut it. The odds of you recovering 100% (without any compensations) by just taking some pills, icing, and resting are slim to none.
The best thing to do is see a physical therapist (PT). They are the ideal medical professional that can guide athletes from injury all the way back to playing. Therapists are movement specialists who evaluate and treat musculoskeletal problems and will provide you with the quickest and safest route back to playing.
5 – Not Going To a PT Who Specializes In Sports Injuries
Now, seeing just any therapist won’t suffice for athletes. You should seek out a PT who specializes in sports injuries/rehab.
If you have gone to PT before and they had you pulling on some rubber bands and kicking around ankle weights, that’s not the type of PT athletes should be getting….actually, it’s not the type of PT anyone should be getting.
As I mentioned above, athletic injuries tend to be more complex than general injuries and therefore require the skill/knowledge of a specialist.
Lucky for you, you have a Board Certified Specialist in Sports Physical Therapy right here in your neighborhood!
6 – Stopping All Training
Another common mistake athletes make when they get injured is to stop all of their training (weightlifting, conditioning, etc). Most athletes do this because they are scared of making their injury worse or because they just don’t know how to train around the injury/pain. Unfortunately, when you stop all your training, you will start to become deconditioned and weaker….which will lead to an even longer recovery.
Seeking out a physical therapist to help you train around your injury and maintain your fitness level is vital to the recovery process.
7 – Not Following Through With Rehab/Training
Some athletes will make the right decision and go to physical therapy but after a few sessions, they drop off because they think they’re “good enough” and “can do the rest on their own.” And these athletes are the ones who tend to never fully recover or suffer another injury when they go back to play.
Physical therapists develop an individualized treatment plan for a reason – they listened to your story & goals, assessed your injury, and formulated a plan that will get you back to doing what you love as quickly and safely as possible. And this requires sticking to that plan….not missing sessions and ending treatment prematurely. If you follow through with the entire treatment plan laid out by your therapist, you will reap the rewards as you get back to doing the things you love ASAP!
If you're guilty of some of these mistakes and you're looking for even more help right now, I recommend reading this FREE special report - "The 5 Steps Injured Athletes Must Take To Return To Sports As Fast As Possible"
