Active athletes are at risk of injury in many ways. Depending on the type of sport that is involved, an athlete can suffer from any number of conditions that can be detrimental to their ability to perform in a given activity or sport. The price paid for an untreated injury can be steep in the long term, as injuries can compound over time and create a scenario that becomes more difficult to treat as time goes on. As a result, it can be critical for an athlete to seek treatment as soon as possible in order to remediate the possibility that they will deal with unfavorable effects. Physical therapy can be an essential component in the recovery process. Here are a few of the reasons why an athlete in Denver should seriously consider receiving physical therapy.

Prevent Injury

So you haven’t had an injury yet in your given sport and you feel relatively confident in your ability to minimize risk and prevent any serious incident from occurring. While it is great to feel like you are capable at reducing injury potential, the possibility of an injury occurring is always there, especially if you are involved in an activity that involves a high amount of risk or stress to your body.

Receiving physical therapy prior to injuring any portion of your body can be an effective and efficient way of reducing the potential for any injury from occurring. By receiving physical therapy, you will increase your protection against various injuries. A competent physical therapist will be able to do a properly injury risk assessment and educate you on the various stretches and activities you can do in order to reduce the possibility of becoming injured (injury risk assessment). A therapist can also suggest exercises and stretches that are specific to your type of activity, which can aid in reducing the possibility of injuries from occurring. 

Recovery from a Sports-Related Injury

If you’ve experienced some level of injury due to your involvement in a particular sport, seeking treatment from a qualified physical therapist can be extremely beneficial in your recovery process. Healing properly after an injury takes place is very important to an athlete being able to regain their form and not suffer any lingering effects from the injury. An efficient recovery process is a necessity in regards to being able to get back onto the field at full-strength, and it important to not underestimate the importance of receiving physical therapy.

Often, a sports injury can be serious enough to include the possibility of surgery and medications in regards to the recovery process. This is certainly not ideal and should be avoided if possible. Dependency on a pain medication can lead to a serious addiction that can further compound the effects of an injury, and invasive surgery is certainly not something an athlete wants to have to deal with. 

A good physical therapist will be able to show an athlete a variety of techniques that will be useful in dealing with the effects of any given injury. PT can help to reduce the pain of an injury through the use of appropriate movement strategies and can help to increase the flow of blood as a way to encourage and assist in the healing process. If you are recovering from an injury, chances are your mobility will be severely decreased. This can lead to a reduction in muscle strength as time goes on, which can be detrimental to your athletic abilities once you are able to begin moving again. Your physical therapist will be able to demonstrate techniques that help to maintain and build muscle during the recovery process.

Improve Performance

If you are involved in a highly active sport that requires a variety of movements which can be stressful to your body, you will want to have the ability to move in the most efficient and least stressful way possible for your body. Under careful observation, a physical therapist will be able to observe your movement and determine the ways in which you are moving that are beneficial and detrimental to the particular activity you are involved in.

While it is easy to believe we are completely capable and competent in the sport we are involved in, often times we overlook various aspects of our movement that can lead to us damaging something down the road. In the moment, a given movement may not seem very damaging to our body but over time it can begin to wear down a particular area of our body, eventually leading to an injury. A physical therapist will be able to provide solutions to remediate any potential issues that they are able to observe in regards to your movements, thus reducing the possibility that you will injure anything in the future.

Avoid Surgery

One of the worst outcomes that can result from a sports-related injury is to have a doctor or surgeon tell you that you require surgery. This can be a devastating thing to hear, as surgery can be invasive and significantly lengthen the amount of time it will take for an individual to recover from a given injury.

By receiving proper physical therapy treatments, you will dramatically reduce the possibility that surgery will be required. While not every injury can be treated using physical therapy, there are a number of injuries that physical therapy can handle that will reduce the need for surgery. 

If you are in need of physical therapy or have questions about what physical therapy consists of, contact Peak Physical Therapy and Wellness today and we will be happy to assist you with your first steps towards recovery. We have an extensive team of qualified physical therapists and specialists who care deeply about their clients and go above and beyond the call of duty to provide the highest quality treatment in the industry. If you are looking for a therapist who will carefully assess your individual needs and formulate a treatment plan that is specifically tailored to your needs, Peak Physical Therapy and Wellness is your preferred choice for the physical recovery process.