How To Return To Competition After An Injury

A major injury is a worst-case scenario for most athletes. Whether it is a hamstring tear, a knee injury, a shoulder tear or a broken bone it can feel debilitating both physically and psychologically.

Being on the shelf as the result of a sports injury is understandably frustrating as you want to compete. However, there is a difference between returning to competition and staying in that competition.

Here are some tips to recover completely, quickly and feel better than ever.

 

Trust Your Body

The biggest mistake athletes make when making their return is being too eager to return, rushing their recovery and their physiotherapy and immediately injuring themselves again.

There are countless examples of athletes who got injured, tried to play through the pain, made it worse and then worsened the cycle after they had a long term treatment, causing them to spend more time injured than playing.

Take it slow and trust your body. If it feels like you are going too fast, don’t overexert yourself.

 

Pain Is A Message

“No pain, no gain” is one of the biggest lies in sports, because when it comes to recovery the opposite is true.

Your body hurts as a warning system that you have pushed a bit too far and you need to stop before injuring yourself.

Be sure to rest and build yourself up gradually.

 

Any Progress Is Good Progress

A lot of athletes have an “all or nothing” approach, which is good for competition but can lead to some bad habits when it comes to recovery, such as pushing yourself through exercises your body is not ready to handle yet.

Only do as much as you feel comfortable doing, and that is a great benchmark to try again and try to progress further.

Steady, continuous progress is better than pushing too far one day and having to recover for the next four.

 

For more information and advice from a sports therapist in Maidenhead, contact us today.