Injuries during sports can disrupt the daily routine of an athlete. It is however important to take the necessary measures to fully recover to prevent further damage to the injured areas.
Injured athletes should never
Strain the injured area
Some players continue engaging in sports activities after an injury. This would result in further damage and it is important to heal first before continuing with any exercises after an injury.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Treat an injury through personal methods
Even though home care measures help relieve pain it is important to consult a qualified health professional. A sports injury requires proper treatment from a doctor. Individual treating methods may relieve the pain but not treat the injury accordingly.
Ignore small signs of injury for example swelling.
An athlete should never ignore any change in the body. For example swelling, numbness, or tingling can be an indication of an injury. Even though the area may not hurt immediately an athlete should never ignore such change.
Misuse drugs to play with a hurting injury.
Some players may opt to take more painkillers so that they continue with their sports activities. This could result in many negative effects and interfere with the healing process of the injured area.
Ignore a doctor’s prescription and medication.
Once an athlete has begun feeling better he or she may opt to stop taking medication or stop visiting therapy sessions. Athletes need to go through full recovery before joining their teams. It is therefore important to ensure all the doctor's prescriptions are followed.
What athletes should generally do
Focus on recovery.
Athletes should take their time and focus on attaining full recovery. This means they should allow themselves enough time without worrying about when they would get back to sports activities. Focusing on the recovery process is essential as it helps an athlete recover fully and thus resume their roles.
Get the required equipment and treatment of an injury
Athletes should ensure they have the necessary equipment required for their recovery process. For example in cases of ankle damage a crepe bandage or heel protector can be useful in avoiding any further injuries.
Athletes should make sure they maintain a healthy diet
During an injury, it may be impossible to take part in physical exercise. This should not be a reason to stop eating nutritiously with the fear that they would gain weight. During an injury, an athlete should maintain a healthy diet as the body requires nutrients to repair the injury.
Athletes should acknowledge their feelings after an injury
They should express their frustration to help deal with their emotions. For example, an injury may lead to stress if an athlete had focused and looked forward to a particular game (Evans et al 2000). Most athletes focus on sports as their livelihood and an injury may lead to stress on how they would survive.
Work closely with a doctor to get stronger and ready for sports activities
An injured athlete should work closely with a doctor on making improvements to help them get back in the field. This helps make the right decision for example on exercises to do to strengthen muscles for the injured area without causing more damage.
Weekly activities after an injury
Get active slowly.
An athlete should slowly and systematically engage in helpful physical activities to evaluate the healing process. However, these activities should be very simple and systematic.
Reflect on the exercises
After every week an athlete should take time to evaluate and modify any exercise routine. Here they should check whether activities they are involved in improving the healing process or worsen the injured area.
Follow up on the progress of recovery.
This requires an assessment of the injured area by a health professional to discuss the best way forward. Most minor injuries heal in a short period of time an athlete should thus be assessed on the level of healing an injury has attained.
Implement better methods to avoid injuries
Athletes should learn how to protect their bodies from future injuries over time. They should set weakly goals to ensure they implement necessary measures to avoid injuries. For example, handle any stress that would lead to a loss of focus.
They should also evaluate their lifestyle habits
Rest is important in an athlete’s life. Every week an athlete should ensure they have had enough rest. This way they have the ability to avoid any mistakes that would lead them to have physical injuries.
References
Evans, L., Hardy, L., & Fleming, S. (2000). Intervention strategies with injured athletes: An action research study. The sport psychologist , 14 (2), 188-206.
