With my recent injury I’ve done quite a bit of research on sports rehab so i thought this topic would be fitting for me to write about. The day after my surgery, one of the first things I was told I would have to do was to get up and try to walk. After just having surgery on a fractured ankle, I thought the doctor was joking. Exercise is a vital part of the rehabilitation process for most sporting injuries. Apart from physiotherapy treatment, specific strengthening and flexibility exercises are recommended so the injured area returns to its fully functional state and also to ensure the cause of the injury is eliminated.
There are a number of steps to be taken before returning to full training. Once the pain and swelling of the affected area has subsided mobility and flexibility exercises will be set by the physiotherapist and it’s your job to follow these steps either on your on own or with a qualified trainer. Even though you are still injured, adopting different types of training that does not stress the injury is encouraged to maintain aerobic fitness and also strength. Before you feel your ready to recommence normal activity you must gradually retrain the injured part to withstand its maximum capacity. Just because its pain free doesn’t mean you are fully fit, doing too much too soon can have a negative effect. The goal at this stage is to regain full function. In my case, to recover from an ankle injury a vital part of the program should include pro-prio ceptive training. This is the coordination of balance and joint sense. The brain must know which position the joints are in so that movements can occur smoothly and effectively. Exercises such as hoping,unilateral drills and jumping are important to retrain any loss of proprioception. From here the program should be progressive starting with 10 min of jogging 3 times a week and slowly build from there. The exercises should increase in volume and speed until a full out workout can be achieved. Once you are ready to go back to your normal routine its important too keep up your strengthening exercises so problems don’t recur.
Lets hope you don’t have to go through this process but if you do i hope this article can help you get back into full fitness with no set backs Adrian Montesinos.
