Sustaining a sports injury can be a very traumatic experience. It's not fun to go from being fully engaged in an activity an then suddenly experience an injury. If you're able to get up and walk with no immediate pain, you might think mild stretching and walking it off is all it will take. However, sports injuries don't always result in instant pain and you may not discover until days later that you've actually really hurt yourself. If any of the following symptoms start to manifest after a sports-related accident, you might want to schedule physical therapy at a local clinic.
Your Performance Starts to Suffer
One of the first signs that you'll notice if you have a sports-related injury is a change in your performance. You may have played with explosive power before but now find that you're no longer able to run as fast, jump as high, kick as far, or go the distance like you used to. It's often very disturbing to feel these kinds of differences, especially if you aren't able to tie them to your recent accident.
You may have sprained some part of your body when you had the incident. This could have resulted in greater restrictions on your movement that don't even necessarily have to be painful. It has just become difficult to extend your limbs as far as you used to and the limitations are affecting your game.
This is a clear indication that you need to get to a physical therapist. The therapist can examine your body to determine where the injury is and may assign you a regimen of exercises that you can do at home to gradually remove the muscle knots or fractures that are the source of your problem.
Sharp Back Pains Leave You Bedridden
If a few days have passed and you wake up one morning to feel stabbing pains in your back, this could be the residual aftermath of your injury. Going to a physical therapist is a great way for you to prevent disability, restore the full functioning of your back, and possibly help with pain reduction in the process.
Untreated sports injuries can leave you with serious physical damage that could even worsen over time. The moment you detect these signs it's time to make an appointment with a physical therapist. Your future ability to engage in the sport you love could depend on it!