When Do I Need Physical Therapy After a Sports Injury?

Physical therapy is often an important part of the recovery process after a sports injury. While not every injury requires physical therapy, there are many circumstances when it will be required to restore the health, strength and function of the injured region.

The best way to determine whether you need physical therapy is to be evaluated by a sports injury doctor. Our doctors will consider the type and severity of the injury, your overall health and how long ago the injury occurred when identifying the right treatment plan.

In general, the following injuries will typically benefit from physical therapy:

• Knee injuries
• Broken bones
• Neck and back injuries
• Shoulder injuries
• Torn ligaments or tendons
• Sprained ankles
• Pinched nerves

Physical therapy also plays a critical role in recovery and rehabilitation after orthopedic surgery, including joint replacement procedures.

Why Is Physical Therapy Important After a Sports Injury?

Physical therapy plays an important role in helping your body heal fully and properly after a sports injury. It can help:

• Reduce pain
• Restore proper function of the muscles, joints, and tendons impacted by your injury
• Improve flexibility and range of motion in the injured region
• Ensure proper alignment when moving an injured joint
• Limit scar tissue buildup after surgery

In addition, undergoing physical therapy after a sports injury provides a variety of benefits, including:

• 

  Why Is Physical Therapy Important After a Sports Injury?

  Greater customization of your care plan – Physical therapists have extensive experience treating sports injuries, and they can help you develop a customized treatment plan that will maximize the efficiency of your rehabilitation efforts. This care plan will also establish goals for you to strive for as you progress in your recovery.

• Decreases dependence on pain medication – One of the goals of physical therapy is to reduce pain. When started quickly after an injury, physical therapy can often decrease your reliance on pain medication, such as opioids, which may be addictive.
• Prevents the need for invasive surgery – In some instances, physical therapy may be able to restore joint mobility and function to a level where invasive surgery won’t be required. Providing you with a conservative treatment option that can potentially eliminate the need for surgery is one of the greatest benefits you may experience from physical therapy, making it an effective treatment option to explore as a first resort in many situations where surgery isn’t absolutely necessary.
• Helps avoid reinjury – Due to the loss of strength and mobility caused by many sports injuries, you are often at greater risk of additional injuries in that region. Physical therapy significantly reduces this risk by helping you restore proper strength, stability and function to the injured area.
• Reduces the risk of arthritis – Many sports injuries, particularly those involving broken bones, may increase your risk of developing arthritis in the injured region. Physical therapy helps reduce the inflammation and stiffness associated with arthritis, and this may either reduce your risk of future arthritis or at the very least, help delay the onset.

When Should I Start Physical Therapy After a Sports Injury?

In most instances, it’s best to start physical therapy as soon as it’s safe to do so following your sports injury. The sooner you start physical therapy, the more likely you are to speed up your recovery and reap the other benefits discussed above.

Our sports medicine doctors will determine the ideal start time for physical therapy based on the nature and severity of your injury. Depending on the circumstances surrounding your injury, physical therapy may potentially be safe to start within a few days.

Delaying treatment once it is safe to begin can potentially make symptoms worse. As a result, it may be more challenging, and sometimes even more expensive, to treat your sports injury. In some instances, you may experience permanent complications when you delay or refuse to undergo physical therapy.

Colorado Advanced Orthopedics Can Help Restore a Pain Free Life

Colorado Advanced Orthopedics provides the comprehensive treatment options you need to make a full recovery and restore a pain free life after a sports injury. We offer the most advanced sports medicine treatments along the Western Slope. Our board-certified orthopedic surgeons are fellowship trained in advanced joint care and achieve surgical outcomes which exceed industry standards. In addition, our surgeons are supported by a team of sports medicine doctors who perform minimally invasive, nonsurgical treatments in situations where surgery is not necessary.

You’ll also benefit from working with our in-house physical therapy team. Our physical therapists have extensive training in the latest and most advanced techniques, and we offer a wide range of therapeutic treatment solutions to ensure your care plan is customized to address your specific goals.

By working with our sports medicine and physical therapy teams, you’ll benefit from improved collaboration and coordination between your doctors and your physical therapists. This ensures all of your care providers will be fully aligned regarding your treatment goals and plan, allowing you to achieve the best possible outcome.

Contact us today to schedule an appointment. Colorado Advanced Orthopedics serves patients in Meeker and throughout the White River Valley.