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| What
Does Return To Play Mean? |
This
refers to the point in recovery from an injury when a person
is able to go back to playing their sport or participating
in an activity at a level close to that which they participated
at before.
No one likes to be sidelined with an injury. One of the
goals of sports medicine is to try to get an athlete back
into action as soon as possible. Returning too soon, before
adequate healing or recovery, can put you at risk for re-injury
and possibly an even longer down time.
With the right game plan for sports injuries, from early
diagnosis and treatment to full functional rehabilitation,
you can often safely accelerate your return to play. |
| A
Lesson From The Pros |
 Why
does it seem that professional athletes return to play so
much faster? Professional athletes are usually in tremendous
physical condition at the time of their injury. This fitness
level helps them in many ways because studies have shown
that good conditioning can not prevent injuries, but can
also lessen the severity of an injury and speed recovery.
Professional athletes also get prompt treatment when an
injury occurs and this lessons the acute phase of the injury.
Early treatment means that there is less swelling, stiffness
and loss of muscle tone. In addition, they work extremely
hard with a physical therapist and/or certified athletic
trainer during their recovery.
In addition, they bring to their recovery what they bring
to their sport - a positive attitude. While you may not
have access to many things professional athletes have, you
can harness the power of a positive attitude for your own
benefit during recovery. |
| Tips
From The Pros To Speed Your Recovery |
| • |
Maintain
year round balanced physical conditioning. |
| • |
Make
Sure that injuries are recognized early and treated promptly. |
| • |
Participate
in a full functional rehabilitation program. |
| • |
Stay
fit while injured. |
| • |
Keep
a positive, upbeat attitude |
| Your
Recovery Plan |
Recovery
from an injury involves a series of logical steps from the
time of an injury until you are able to be back on the field
or court. Each step should be outlined and monitored by
your physician and physical therapist.
During the acute phase, the focus should be on minimizing
swelling. This involves the RICE formula: Rest, Ice, Compression
and Elevation, along with a limitation of activities. Depending
on the type and severity of your injury, treatment may also
involve surgery, bracing, or even casting.
During this period, it is very important to maintain overall
conditioning while the injury heals. Creative techniques
can be used to safely work around the injury. For example,
a runner with a leg injury can often run in water or use
a stationary bicycle to maintain conditioning. Even if one
leg is in a cast, the rest of the body can be exercised
by performing strength training exercises. Do not wait until
your injury is healed to get back into shape.
In the next phase of recovery, you should work on regaining
full motion and strength of the injured limb or joint. An
exact plan should be outlined by your physician, therapist
or certified athletic trainer. For most injuries, gentle
protective range of motion exercises can be started almost
immediately. Muscle tone can be maintained with the use
of electrical stimulation or simple strengthening exercises.
When strength returns to normal, functional drills can be
started. This may include brisk walking, jumping rope hopping
or light jogging for lower extremity injuries. Specific
balance and agility exercises can bring back coordination
that may have been lost in the injury.
Once you have progressed with motion, strength, endurance
and agility, and are tolerating functional drills, you can
try higher levels of functional tests and drills that incorporate
sport specific movement patterns on the field or court.
This is monitored by your physical therapist or certified
athletic trainer. You may find that tape, braces or supports
help during this transition time.
Only when you are practicing hard without significant difficulty
and the healing has progressed to the point where the likelihood
of injury or harm is low, are you ready to return to play.
During these final phases of recovery, you should be closely
monitored and special attention should be given to adequate
warm up before and icing after activity |
| A
Word Of Caution |
Following
the rational progression of recovery not only lessons the
chance of re-injury but assures that you will be able to
perform at your best when you return to play. All to often,
athletes think they are ready to return as soon as the limp
or the swelling subsides. They may fell good, but they are
probably only 70 to 75% recovered. This invites re-injury.
Sports medicine experts are working on ways to help athletes
get as close to 100% recovery from injuries as possible,
as quickly as safety allows. There is often tremendous pressure
to get the athlete back as soon as possible, but the athlete's
health and safeties must be placed above all other concerns.
A systematic recovery plan is successfully used every day,
at all levels of play, from the recreational athlete to
the elite professional or Olympic athlete. |
Back
to Sports Tips
American
Orthopaedic Society
for Sports Medicine
6300 North River Road, Suite 200
Rosemont, Illinois 60018
http://www.sportsmed.org
|
National
Athletic
Trainers Association
2952 Stemmons Freeway
Dallas, Texas 75247
http://www.nata.org |
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