Sports Rehabilitation is a broad term that does not have a clear definition. Rehabilitation itself is defined in the medical dictionary as “a treatment or treatments designed to facilitate the process of recovery from injury, illness, or disease to as normal a condition as possible…often with the help of a specialized medical professional” 1. With the word “sports” in front of it, this implies there is an injury from a specific sport, rather than a disease or illness process. However, there does not always have to be an injury. Most athletes would agree with clinical professionals that the importance of preventative care to avoid injury cannot be stressed enough. Preventative care can and is still placed under the category of “sports rehabilitation”. A commonality between all programs is the goal of normalizing function while reducing any irritation to muscles, connective tissue, and joints that may be present along the way.
Unfortunately, the number one risk factor for injury is a previous injury. This is most likely due to inadequate recovery and/or preparation by the body. At F.I.T. Muscle & Joint Clinic, we believe strongly in preparing our patients to overcome this statistic through proper rehabilitation. After starting with a thorough assessment and diagnosis, our doctors are able to come up with a personalized plan to heal injured tissue and improve deficient or altered movement patterns. By addressing the injury from a functional stand point rather than just a chasing pain, the doctors at F.I.T. work to break the norm and actually reduce the risk of another injury.
The F.I.T. Approach
Another key take away from a sports rehabilitation program at a clinic such as F.I.T. Muscle & Joint Clinic is the home exercises. Once the patient has committed to their program and is showing proper demonstration and knowledge of the exercises they are encouraged to continue performing them even after their pain is gone and program is over.
There is new talk about how “overuse” in some of our athletes may not be as much of a contributing factor to injury as we once thought. A more important factor to analyze might be “training load error” during exercise2. We strive to train our patients on proper load transfer and movement patterns to carry with them outside of the clinic. Proper transferring of load during exercise allows the body to work more efficiently with less strain on the joints and ligaments. This way, the muscle tissues can be trained properly rather than reinforcing the compensatory patterns.
If you or someone you know is in need of an individualized and comprehensive sports rehabilitation program call one of the F.I.T. offices today!
