Athletes are known to fight through their pain to continue competing and reach their goals. However, the body can’t perform at its peak level if it’s pushed while injured. There’s a high chance that without treatment, the injury will worsen and prevent you from competing much longer than if the problem was addressed immediately.

Acute vs. Chronic Sports Injuries

Sports injuries can be split into two categories: acute and chronic. Acute injuries occur suddenly and are usually accompanied by severe pain, like a broken bone. You’ll most likely experience a loss of function and will seek immediate medical attention.

Chronic injuries develop gradually and worsen over time, often a result of repetitive movement or incorrect form. They can also be the result of a previous injury that hasn’t healed properly. While chronic, overuse injuries outnumber acute injuries in most sports, their impact is underestimated because they’re not instantly disabling with an obvious loss of function.

However, it’s important for athletes to seek treatment for chronic injuries and to not ignore any pain or symptoms; once the injury is established, it’s difficult to manage successfully. Chronic injuries can even increase your risk of an acute injury; for example, if you favor one foot over the other because of tendonitis, you increase your chances of other injuries.

Physical Therapy For Sports Injuries

Physical therapy is a key component of our comprehensive approach to sports medicine. Our sports injury specialists are specially trained in sports medicine, with a deep understanding of exercise science and biomechanics. This means we are not only fully equipped to treat your injury, but recommend an injury prevention plan moving forward that takes into account the movement associated with your sport, the associated risk of the sport, and more.

We build treatment plans that are sports-specific, incorporating exercises to help you perform even better than you did before you were injured.