Rehab and sports therapy in California
If you’re under the California sun, nothing beats throwing a ball around with your friends or hitting the golf course. Sports are not only fun, but they can also provide a variety of long-term benefits. Playing sports helps people to learn discipline, build relationships and gain confidence. But with the strenuous physical demands of many sports comes the increased risk of injury.
Every sport has a risk of injury. From overusing their muscles to colliding with other players, athletes are no strangers to getting hurt. And when that happens, it’s important to effectively rehabilitate the injury and restore your strength so that you can get back to playing. But what do rehab and sports therapy entail? That’s what we’re here to answer.
Read on to learn about the basics of rehab and sports therapy in California. You’ll learn about why you need it, what you should look for in a clinic and what you should expect from the sessions.
The basics of rehab and sports therapy in California
If you’ve been injured while playing a sport, you want to get back to your game as soon as possible and play as if you were never hurt in the first place. That’s why sports rehabilitation and therapy are essential.
Sports rehabilitation is a form of physical therapy that treats the pain and injuries of athletes. The goal is to alleviate the symptoms and restore the overall quality of the affected area. Your therapist has the important responsibility of determining when it’s safe for you to resume playing.
If you’ve been injured while playing a sport, rehabilitation therapy helps:
- Alleviate pain.
- Increase range of motion.
- Gain strength and stamina.
- Improve muscular movements and coordination.
- Restore your ability to complete sport-specific movements.
Sports therapy is the next step that follows rehabilitation. It can provide performance enhancement and preventive techniques to reduce the risk of future injury. The goal is to continue improving your game after sustaining an injury.
Why athletes need rehab and sports therapy
Nearly every sport requires consistent strenuous exercise to boost strength, flexibility and endurance. But no matter what physical shape you are in, or how well you take care of your body, injuries are always a possibility.
When people get hurt, especially athletes who have such a passion for their sport, it’s always tempting to just brush off the injury because they don’t want to take time away from their game or they trust the body’s natural healing abilities. But without proper sports rehabilitation treatment and exercises, the injury could worsen and cause further damage. As an injury worsens, so do your athletic skills.
The importance of sports physical therapy after sports rehab also shouldn’t be underestimated. Once your injury is treated, it takes time and effort to get the affected area back to the quality it was before. Sports therapy ensures that after your injury is healed, your athletic performance can continue to improve.
What to look for in a rehab and sports therapy clinic in California
When you’re trying to find a sports rehab and therapy clinic in California, it’s important that you don’t choose randomly. There are a few factors that you should consider when exploring your clinic options to ensure that you get the most out of your rehabilitation and therapy sessions.
Some factors to consider when you’re looking for a rehab and sports therapy clinic in California include:
- Certifications — Did you know that there are more than 20,000 physical therapists in California, but only a few are board-certified? At REPAIR SI, we are one of those few. A board certification proves that the therapist put in the time and effort to become as knowledgeable and skilled as possible to ensure that they can provide you with effective sports rehabilitation and therapy.
- Needs/conditions — There are so many different ways that an athlete can sustain an injury, but not all clinics can properly treat every single one. Be sure that you look at the services available at a clinic to ensure that they are able to work with your specific condition. Your therapy should be tailored to your injury as well as medical history and capabilities.
- Supplemental services — Many clinics offer an abundance of services that could follow, or be coupled with, sports rehab and therapy. See what other services you may be interested in exploring, such as dry needling, sports massage and breathwork education. A clinic should be able to improve your health and wellness in every facet.
What to expect from a session at a rehab and sports therapy clinic in California
If you’ve never been to a sports rehabilitation and therapy clinic in California before, it can be a bit nerve-wracking if you don’t know what to expect. But you should always remember that your therapist has the same goal as you: to heal the injury and enhance your athletic performance.
They will start out by asking about your injury, resulting symptoms, and how it’s impacted your game as well as your overall quality of life. Then they will do an exam to see how the injury or pain has affected your strength, range of motion and mechanics. They can determine the best course of action for treatment, which will likely include modalities, techniques and exercises.
REPAIR SI is the rehab and sports therapy clinic in California you’re looking for
An injury can be frustrating for an athlete, but it doesn’t mean you can never play sports again. With the proper sports rehab and therapy in California, you can get right back to scoring a touchdown, hitting a home run or shooting a three-pointer. And that’s what we’re here for.
Contact our team today for more information or to schedule an initial appointment.