Treatment of Injury

At Hull Sports Massage we take the treatment of injury very seriously and place a high priority on getting you back to full fitness.

Our Aim is to allow you to regain full fitness and function in the shortest and safest possible time.

To give you an insight into the treatment of injury we have compiled a list of 5 of the most common sports injuries with a link into what they are and some exercise patterns to get you well again.

But first...

Some good advice...

A well publicised rule to prevent injury in both novice and trained individual is the 10 percent rule.

Increasing the intensity, time or type of activity too quickly is one common reason for sport injury. Increase your activity no more than 10 percent per week. That includes distance, intensity, weight lifted and time of exercise.

• if you are running 20 miles per week and want to increase, adding 2 miles the next week
• If you are lifting 20 Kilos and want to increase, add 2 Kilos the next week.
• A simple way to gauge your training, but it also helps you remain consistent with your exercise program.
• To effectively improve your ability, the ten percent rule requires that you continue your workouts from week to week.

Common injuries

1. Ankle Sprains and Strains

   A number of factors can lead to ankle sprains, including poor technique and uneven terrain. The right footwear is essential to preventing a sprain, but it isn’t the only thing you can do. If you have a history of ankle injuries a brace can provide extra stability to prevent re-injury. Physical therapy after an injury can increase strength and range of motion.
• Ankle Sprains
• Ankle injury and Rehabilitation exercise
• Recovering from an ankle Sprain


2. Knee Pain

   Knee injuries are often caused by improper technique, lack of conditioning and poor flexibility. While it’s important to build up training gradually to avoid overuse, biomechanics can also come into play, If you have flat feet or high arches, pronate or supinate, you may have more knee pain.




3. Lower Back Pain

   Low back pain is a common problem and one of the main reasons is inactivity. As we get older and less active, we lose the strength and balance in the core muscles (abs and low back) can lead to poor posture, improper alignment, fatigue and pain. Regular exercise is the best way to protect your lower back.



4. Elbow Pain

   Tennis players and golfers have more elbow injuries than most, but anyone can develop elbow pain. Although conditioning is a major cause, proper technique is essential to preventing problems. Take a class or get professional instruction. Also, make sure your equipment fits well.
• Tennis Elbow (Lateral Epicondylitis)
• Golfers Elbow (Medial Epicondylitis)

5. Shoulder Injuries

   Frequently seen in throwing sports, Rotator Cuff Tendonitis is a common cause of shoulder pain. Staying in shape and easing into an activity are the best ways to prevent problems. There are a number of potential shoulder injuries, however, so proper conditioning is essential for your sport.

Even with proper conditioning, equipment and other precautions you may still develop pain from exercise. Prevent the pain from becoming a chronic problem. At the first sign of pain stop or ease back on your sport immediately. Apply ice for 15 to 20 minutes several times a day and elevate the injured area.

If you still have pain after two or three days, you should seek help and advice.

Overuse injuries: repetitive strain injury.

Sports injuries tend to be categorised as either traumatic (acute) injuries or overuse (chronic) injuries. Acute injuries are usually the result of a specific impact or traumatic event. Overuse injuries tend to have subtle or vague symptoms that develop slowly. They begin as a small, nagging ache or pain, and can grow into a debilitating injury if they aren't treated early.

Overuse injuries are the result of repetitive use, stress and trauma to the soft tissues of the body (muscles, tendons, bones and joints) when there is not enough time for proper healing. They are sometimes called cumulative trauma, or repetitive stress injuries. Examples include tendonitis, elbow and shin splints.

Most sports injuries are overuse injuries and they often occur at the start of a new exercise routine (too much, too soon), or in long-time exercisers who don't allow for enough rest and recovery.

The main factors in the development of overuse injuries include:

Doing Too Much, Too soon

it’s important to start slow and increase your training time and intensity over time. Following the Ten percent rule is helpful in avoiding overuse injuries.

Overtraining Syndrome

Some athletes mistakenly think more exercise is better, and they fail to get adequate rest. This can lead to a chronic, overuse injury. This is also common in advanced exercisers who suddenly increase their time or intensity in an abrupt manner (often while training for an event).

Returning from Injury Too Soon

Many athletes try to come back from an injury too quickly. They frequently develop a secondary overuse injury while trying to make up for lost time.

Incorrect Footwear

Wearing the right shoe is important, especially for runners.

Running Surface

The terrain you run on can also set you up for injuries.

Treating overuse injuries requires resting the stressed tissues. Reducing the intensity, duration or frequency of the exercise will sometimes be all the treatment required for fast relief.

Icing the injury can also help reduce inflammation and pain. For more serious overuse injuries, physical therapy, over the counter medications, and complete rest may be necessary.

To prevent the return of overuse injuries, athletes should maintain a training schedule that includes varied intensity and duration as well as type of activity. Getting a proper warm up and cross training is also helpful.