Sports Injuries and Athlete Health
An athlete who stays away from sports activities, even for a few days after the injury, may develop moral and psychic losses as well as losses that directly affect sports performance such as strength, strength, coordination and endurance. For this reason, exercise and rehabilitation programs should be initiated as soon as possible after the injury to compensate for the losses. Individual and well-planned active rehabilitation protocols will help the athlete recover from injury and return to active sports life in a short time. The main objectives of a rehabilitation program to be organized can be listed as follows:
Prevention of pain and swelling: It is applied by applying ice and bandage in the first 2-3 days after the injury,
Removing the range of motion of the joint: In cases where active movement is not possible, passive joint movements should be performed at regular intervals and in sufficient numbers every day,
Re-development of muscles: It is done with appropriate exercise programs,
Developing stamina: After the injury, work to improve performance should be started as soon as possible,
Developing original skills: It is very important to develop unique skills, as the injury of the athlete and being away from the fields for a temporary period of time will inevitably lead to functional losses and reductions in sportive skills,
It is possible to benefit from physical therapy methods in the early or late stages of the healing process of sports injuries. One of the most used physical therapy methods in the early period of sports injuries is TENS, and the other is ultrasound devices. Both are often used together to reduce pain, relieve edema and swelling. In recent years, three important treatment methods have been developed: The first of these is high-intensity laser therapy (Hiltherapy). The second is ESWT therapy, which is known as shock therapy and applied with very high frequency sound waves. The third treatment is Magnetic Field therapy. On the other hand, electrostimulation is widely used to reactivate the muscles during the rehabilitation process.
