Many people don’t think about getting back in shape for the things they usually do in the summer and jump right back in.
If these activities involve any quick and/or explosive movements that you are not used to doing on a regular basis, you can be set up for injury. Taking a break from these activities can recondition your muscles, tendons, and bones from tolerating them. This makes it easier to damage these tissues in our bodies.
It is crucial, especially as we age, to make sure that our bodies are ready for returning to things like tennis, running, softball, etc.
If you are in the boat of people that are injured then there are still things you can do to help yourself get back to what you want to be able to do.
Depending on the extent of the injury and if surgery is needed or not there are going to be different timeframes. Coming back from surgery can range from weeks to months to sometimes a year until you are able to return fully to the activity that caused the injury. Getting with a skilled surgeon and physical therapist to get Range Of Movement and strength back is going to be the path to take to get back to baseline.
If your injury does not require surgery then getting an evaluation/injury screen from a doctor or skilled physical therapist would help in guiding you to the next step. From there the deficits would be seen and then a plan would be laid down to get you back to where you can go back to your favorite activity.
In the meantime staying as active as possible and regressing anything that is modifiable to avoid pain is key. You want to continue to use your body to promote blood flow, strength, and not allow for neural sensitivity to increase your pain. Getting on a proper strength training program to work on improving weaknesses will get you back faster.
When pain is well under control gradually progressing back towards the activity you want to do is going to be the next course of action. If running is involved going from walking, to jogging, and then running is appropriate. Lateral movement/cutting should be progressed from pure strengthening of isolated muscles (glute/quads), to incorporation of those muscles ( squatting, lunging, lateral walks with bands), then slowly doing lateral shuffling then less to more intense changes of direction.
Whatever it may be, getting on a plan to progress back to where you want to be is key. Get with professionals like physical therapists that help people get back to recreational activities on a daily basis to help you as well!
About the author:
Dennis was born and raised in Cincinnati and went to the University of Cincinnati for health promotion and education, focusing on fitness for his undergraduate degree. Following completion of his undergraduate studies, he then went on to the University of Dayton and received his Doctorate of Physical Therapy.
Dr. Mirosh has been practicing in outpatient orthopedics since graduating from UD treating a variety of physical ailments from musculoskeletal injuries to strokes and deconditioning. He has a true passion for working with any client that has the drive to better themselves but has a special interest in working with athletes. In particular, he enjoys working with weight lifters and martial artists
He has always loved the medical field and was directed towards physical therapy from the time he was in middle school. He has been around sports his whole life and had a high appreciation for rehabilitative medicine.
He loves being able to go in every day and help people in his community better their lives and allow them to return to the activities that they hold dear. He enjoys educating clients on proper movement and how to optimize their performance in their everyday life and hobbies. He was also is very blessed to be able to use his hands to alleviate pain and allow people to get back to doing the things they love.