{"id":34582,"date":"2020-09-23T10:31:44","date_gmt":"2020-09-23T16:31:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=34582"},"modified":"2023-06-23T10:36:10","modified_gmt":"2023-06-23T16:36:10","slug":"returning-to-sport-explained","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/returning-to-sport-explained\/","title":{"rendered":"Returning to sport explained"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>
\"Football
Following an injury, physical therapy is one of the necessary components to returning to sports. Photo: Getty Images.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

You\u2019ve made it through your initial surgery or injury, have worked hard in physical therapy, and now you\u2019re ready to get back to your favorite sports. Or are you?<\/p>\n

Before jumping back in, it\u2019s important to work with your physical therapist on an individualized \u2018return-to-sport\u2019 program.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not like therapy ends and playing sports starts \u2013 there\u2019s a transition phase,\u201d said Aaron Zagrodnik, a physical therapist with UCHealth SportsMed Clinic in Steamboat Springs<\/a>. \u201cReturn to sport is the phase of rehab after surgery or an injury in which you\u2019re close to being done with formalized therapy, but need to transition back to playing sports.\u201d<\/p>\n

Below, Zagrodnik outlines what you need to know about the return to sports process.<\/p>\n

A phased approach to returning to sport<\/strong><\/h2>\n

When beginning physical therapy after a surgery or injury, the first goals are to minimize pain and swelling, protect the injured area so it can heal and maintain mobility. After that, physical therapy focuses on strength and function.<\/p>\n

It can take months or even years for athletes to get back to their pre-injury level of competition. Go back too soon, and you\u2019re at risk for re-injury and other issues.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust because you feel good doing your daily life doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019re ready for sports,\u201d Zagrodnik said. \u201cIf you re-strain or re-injure yourself, you could be back at square one again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sports-specific exercises for a successful return<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Physical therapists help patients progress through the stages of therapy, testing strength and mobility at each stage to be sure a patient is ready to move to the next.<\/p>\n

Eventually, movement patterns and tasks specific to a patient\u2019s favorite sports and activities are incorporated into the exercises.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll start to mimic the things they\u2019ll have to do when they go back to sport, and build up that load and intensity,\u201d Zagrodnik said. \u201cIf they love hiking, I\u2019m going to connect everything we do to hiking. That keeps them motivated.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moving too fast after a sports injury<\/strong><\/h2>\n

If a patient gets the go-ahead to return to sports, but pain and swelling ensue, they may need to take a step back.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you get back to sport, it shouldn\u2019t be painful,\u201d Zagrodnik said. \u201cIf you have pain and swelling, either you\u2019re pushing too much, you can\u2019t keep mechanics right, or the tissues aren\u2019t ready for that much stress and load.\u201d<\/p>\n

Athletes who get back to their regular activities but find they can\u2019t hit the times or other metrics they did before may be still compensating for the original injury.<\/p>\n

Getting out of your “injured athlete” head<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Don\u2019t forget there\u2019s an important mental component when returning to sports. A recreational skier who doesn\u2019t feel completely confident on their newly healed leg may struggle to make it down runs they previously skied with ease. A mountain biker who broke a collarbone on a downhill trail may find themselves avoiding similar trails.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere can be some aversion to certain movements, or going by the location where it happened,\u201d Zagrodnik said. \u201cIt\u2019s about the patient gaining confidence and realizing they\u2019re strong and stable.\u201d<\/p>\n

A team approach, in which the athlete works with coaches, physical therapists, their surgeon, family members and even a sport psychologist, can be especially important during this process.<\/p>\n

Maintaining motivation for a return to play<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Don\u2019t feel bad if recovery takes longer than you expect. While progress may sometimes be made quickly, many surgeries take about nine to 12 months for a full recovery.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe biggest question is always, \u2018When will I be able to go back?\u2019 And everybody loves the answer: it depends,\u201d Zagrodnik said. \u201cBut it really does depend on the age of the individual, their status before, how the surgery turned out.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are definitely days when people struggle. It\u2019s a long process, and every day isn\u2019t going to feel like a win. But we meet them where they\u2019re at, give support where needed and push them when they need to be pushed so that they can get back to the sports and activities that drive them.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You\u2019ve made it through your initial surgery or injury, have worked hard in physical therapy, and now you\u2019re ready to get back to your favorite sports. Or are you? Before jumping back in, it\u2019s important to work with your physical therapist on an individualized \u2018return-to-sport\u2019 program. \u201cIt\u2019s not like therapy ends and playing sports starts […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2163,"featured_media":34583,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[9142,9187,745,9146,395,9151,2641],"class_list":["post-34582","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-healthy-living","tag-active-life","tag-readysetco","tag-rehabilitation-therapy","tag-rest-and-recovery","tag-sports-medicine","tag-sports-training","tag-uchealth-sportsmed-clinic-steamboat-springs"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nReturning to sport explained - UCHealth Today<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Returning to sport is the transition between the completion of physical therapy and starting to play your sport again. 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