Preparing for Springtime Activities and Avoiding Injury
Are you ready to get active this spring?
Is the risk of injury holding you back from participating in springtime activities like pickleball, golf, or tennis? At Haymarket PT, our therapists are movement experts who can help you recover from an injury and even show you how to avoid one in the first place.
Springtime is finally here, and with it comes a renewed sense of energy and drive to reach your fitness goals! After a long winter of being stuck inside, it’s more important than ever to stay on top of your health and make sure you’re engaging in physical activities.
However, at Haymarket PT, we understand that the fear of injury can prevent you from initiating the steps needed for a healthy and active lifestyle, especially if you’ve been injured in the past. If you need an extra push to get ready to engage in your favorite springtime activity, physical therapy can help. Request an appointment with Haymarket PT today to learn more about how we can help with injury prevention and recovery this spring!
Common Sports Injuries
Most sports injuries occur when people are ill-prepared for physical activity and rush into it without first increasing their strength, endurance, and flexibility. To function properly, your muscles, tendons, ligaments, and other tissues must be warmed up. They are subjected to a great deal of strain while running and participating in sports.
As a result, if your muscles, tendons, and ligaments are not in peak condition, they are more vulnerable to injury. Sports injuries are injuries to the musculoskeletal system, which includes muscles, bones, and tissues like cartilage.
The following are the most common sports injuries:
- Sprains: When the connective tissue that connects one end of the bone to another is stretched or torn, a sprain occurs. Sprains are caused by trauma, such as a fall or a blow to the body that causes a joint to move out of place. Sprains are most common in the ankles, knees, and wrists.
- Strains: When a muscle or tendon is pulled, torn, or twisted, it causes a strain. Strains are non-contact injuries that occur as a result of overstretching. Muscle spasms are a common type of strain.
- Torn shoulders: A torn shoulder is the result of an injury to the rotator cuff. The rotator cuff is made up of tendons and muscles that surround the shoulder joint.
Other sports injuries may include:
- Tennis or golf elbow
- Frozen shoulder
- Hip flexor strain
- Muscle tears
- Bone fractures
Physical therapy can help you condition your body for sport whether you play golf, pickleball, bowling, swimming, tennis, or another sport. Physical therapy may also be able to help you recover from previous injuries that may not have healed properly, so you can enjoy this spring without the fear of reinjury.
How Can PT Assist Me in Recovering From a Sports Injury?
To provide you with relief and prevent you from sustaining the same injury in the future, your physical therapy program may include any or all of the following treatment methods:
- Using cryotherapy and heat therapy in combination to relieve tissue pain and inflammation.
- Lifestyle changes to avoid putting undue strain on the back.
- Cold laser therapy/ massage therapy to soothe, warm, and relax tight muscles and connective tissues.
- Stabilization exercises can help keep your spinal components in place as you go about your daily activities (especially if your pain is related to a spinal injury)
- Strengthening exercises to help you maintain a straighter posture and enjoy better spinal support.
- Flexibility exercises to gently and carefully extend your pain-free range of back motion
During your initial appointment, your therapist will ask you a series of questions to determine where you are experiencing pain and discomfort. They will also inquire about your medical history to rule out any underlying causes of your condition that are unrelated to sports.
They will then collaborate with you to develop a personalized treatment plan. The goal of this treatment plan is to help you regain your full range of motion and function, as well as to allow you to return to your sport this spring without pain or discomfort.
Ready For An Action-Packed Spring? Contact Haymarket PT Today!
At Haymarket PT, we understand how important your sport is to you. Getting active with others is a great way to improve your physical and mental health and make lasting connections with your peers. We don’t want you to miss out on getting active this spring. If an injury is preventing you from taking to the field or court, contact our clinic today. We can help provide pain relief and ensure you enter your season, no matter your sport, ready to perform!
Exercise of the Month
SHOULDER INTERNAL ROTATION STRETCH
Start by standing up straight holding a towel behind your back with one end over your shoulder and the other by your lower back. Grab the bottom end of the towel with your hand on the side you want to stretch and gently pull up on the towel with your other hand. Hold for 30 seconds.
2 Sets, 1 Rep. (Materials needed: towel)
Meet Our Team
Lauren Smith, LPTA
Licensed Physical Therapy Assistant
Cheyenne McGuin-Withrow
Licensed Physical Therapy Assistant
Dr. Catalina Lemcke, PT, DPT
DPT, Director of Rehabilitation
Healthy Recipe: Yogurt Covered Strawberries
Ingredients:
- 12 strawberries
- 10 oz vanilla Greek yogurt
- pink food coloring
Instructions:
- Wash and thoroughly dry the strawberries. Line a plate or board with parchment paper. Dip each strawberry in yogurt, holding the leaves and leaving a little red at the top.
- Place on parchment and freeze 15–20 minutes. Dip again, adding pink food coloring to the yogurt a drop at a time to create a gradient if desired. Freeze for 40–60 minutes.
- Remove from the freezer only when ready to serve, as the yogurt melts quickly.
