Rehabilitative Training Bouncing back from injury

Unfortunately, no matter how smart you train you can only limit the possibilities of an injury. Whether that happens from a slip trip accident or over excess in the gym, all of us eventually will encounter the menace. But that needn’t spell doom sometimes it’s just the catalyst we need to go on to being our best.

Take for instance golfer Ben Hogan, survived a head-on collision with a Greyhound bus in Texas in February 1949. Hogan fractured his pelvis, collarbone, left ankle and experienced near-fatal blood clots. Few thought he’d ever play golf again.

Hogan went on to win six more majors in addition to the three he’d won before the accident. Three of those wins came in golf’s coveted Triple Crown (winning three majors in a calendar year), a feat that wasn’t repeated until Tiger woods did it almost half a century later.

Similarly, the great boxer Willie Pep in 1947 had chartered a plane from Miami to Hartford. The plane crashed near Carmel, New Jersey.

Pep recalled “I woke up on my stomach. People were moaning and groaning. The plane was ripped to shreds. My back was killing me.”

The back pain was undoubtedly the result of his two broken vertebrae. That pain masked the compound fracture in this left leg and his severe chest injuries. Pep spent five months in a leg and a body cast. Once removed, Pep not only resumed his fighting career, but cemented his place in the pantheon of all-time greats. Most hardcore fight fans know that Pep won his first 26 fights after the plane crash, which meant that his second unbeaten streak lasted 73 fights (his first streak was 62 fights). What few realize is that he won the first seven fights of his comeback in a span of only 66 days! …..OUCH!

Golf and boxing share virtually nothing in common. Comparing greatness across two such dissimilar sports is difficult, but possible.

Both men’s injuries are roughly of the same calibre. Hogan broke his pelvis, which is essential to a good golf swing. Pep broke his back, which is essential to everything, especially fluid movement in the thing. Thus, they’re basically tied on the injury front.

After his near fatal injury, Hogan went on to become arguably one of the top five or even top three greatest golfers of all time by winning six majors and closing out his career with 64 wins, behind only Sam Snead, Tiger Woods, and Jack Nicklaus. Pep is consistently ranked in the top three boxers of all time, holds the record for the most wins in boxing and is rightfully considered one of the best defensive fighters of all time. Pep slightly edges Hogan on the accomplishment factor.

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Most Common Injurys in sport

After a sedentary work week, a warrior’s wounds can take their toll in common sports injuries.

The seven most common sports injuries are:

Ankle sprain

Groin pull

Hamstring strain

Shin splints

Knee injury: ACL tear

Knee injury: Patellofemoral syndrome — injury resulting from the repetitive movement of your kneecap against your thigh bone

Tennis elbow (epicondylitis)

To see how to prevent and treat these common sports injuries — and to learn when it's time to look further than your medicine cabinet to treat sports injuries— read on.

The most common sports injuries are strains and sprains Sprains are injuries to ligaments, the tough bands connecting bones in a joint. Suddenly stretching ligaments past their limits deforms or tears them. Strains are injuries to muscle fibres or tendons, which anchor muscles to bones. Strains are called “pulled muscles” for a reason: Over-stretching or overusing a muscle causes tears in the muscle fibres or tendons.

Sometimes preventing common sports injuries is beyond our control, but many times sports injuries are preventable. Every workout should start with a gentle warm-up to prevent common sports injuries. Getting warmed up increases blood flow to the muscles, gets you more flexible, and could decrease injuries.

Overuse injuries are common and preventable “Don't come out and smash yourself for an hour after not being active for a while whether it's hiking, running, or team sports, do some “pre-participation training” first by lightly working the relevant muscle groups in the weeks before the activity.

And learn to recognize when you've already left it all in the gym. “Stop when you are fatigued. “Muscle fatigue takes away all your protective mechanisms and really increases your risk of all injuries.

Rehabilitation & Exercises

Rehabilitation is the process to regain full function following injury and involves restoring strength, flexibility, endurance and power. It is achieved through various exercises and drills. Rehabilitation is as important as treatment following an injury but unfortunately is often overlooked. The aim of a rehabilitation program is to regain pre-injury levels in all aspects of physical fitness. A full rehabilitation and strengthening program is essential to ensure full recovery and to prevent re-injuries.

Try Foam Roller Exercises Self myofascial release is a way of stretching the fascia yourself, without a therapist to do it for you. In most cases this is done using a foam roller - a cylinder of dense foam. Foam rollers can also be used to perform other exercises too, such as balance and core strengthening exercises.

Plyometrics

Plyometrics or plyometric exercises are a form of strengthening exercise, incorporating jumping, bounding and hopping movements, which works to increase power in the muscles. Power is used in the vast majority of all sports and so plyometrics can be used to help develop this for most athletes.

Principles of rehabilitation

Regardless of the type of sports injury, the principles of rehabilitation are often the same. Seek professional advice before embarking on any rehabilitation program. It is important to understand that everyone is different and will respond to different exercises and treatment regimes at different rates.

Always incorporate Stretching Exercises for the foot, ankle, lower leg, thigh, hip, groin, shoulder, neck, upper arm, and elbow.

Remember prevention is better than cure.

And finally to end on a quote.

When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you, till it seems as though you could not hang on a minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.

Harriet Beecher Stowe