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Staying In The Game: How To Rebound From A Sports Injury

Rebound From A Sports Injury

The five stages of grief can often accompany a sports injury. At first, you shake it off as no big deal. Then you get angry that you’re not able to play any longer, which sees you attempt to bargain your way back in. When that doesn’t work, you sink into sadness, and finally accept your situation. The stages of grief might be unavoidable, but that doesn’t mean you can’t bounce back from an injury. With some physical rehabilitation and emotional fortitude, you can bounce back from a sports injury sooner than you think, perhaps even stronger than you were before.

How To Rebound Physically

Compression, Elevation & Ice

ice pack

In the immediate aftermath of an injury, you want to reduce swelling and inflammation as much as possible, since swelling can cause a lack of oxygen in the affected area, which in turn causes cellular damage. Compressing the affected area – in most cases, a simple bandage will do the trick – as well as icing it and raising it will help immensely.

Visit A Sports Chiropractor

One of the core competencies of a chiropractor is treating sports injuries. They are able to diagnose and help manage the injury through joint manipulation, as well as by offering advice on rehabilitative exercises and stretches. With an emphasis on holistic care – that is, how your whole body functions as a unit – it’s easy to see how a sports chiropractor helps you rebound back to health, since they don’t just treat the symptom but also the underlying issues and reasons.

Stay In Shape and Rest Up

These two pieces of advice might appear squarely at odds, but in fact they’re both important. It’s important, during your injury, that you don’t neglect your health, that you remain active in a way that makes sense with your injury. You also need to ensure that you don’t push it, that you give your body ample opportunity to rest up. Yes, this is a balancing act, but it’s one that your body should intuitively know how to strike.

How To Rebound Emotionally

Stay Involved

Stay InvolvedIf part of a team or league, try and stay involved. Oftentimes, sufferers of sports-related injuries report feeling isolated, since they no longer feel part of the team, but your contribution to a team isn’t contingent on direct, physical involvement. Go out and cheer for your teammates, or go out and support your fellow athletes.

Think Positive

This might seem a little trite, but thinking positively can be a great way of overcoming an injury. Believing in your abilities, as well as positively visualizing your body performing movements, have been shown to accelerate the healing process.

Set Goals

If you set unrealistic goals and standards for yourself – for instance, you tell yourself that, after a spinal injury, you want to be back in the game next week – you’re only setting yourself up for disappointment, which could lead to a lack of self worth. Along with your chiropractor, doctor and whomever else is aiding in your rehabilitation, set realistic goals for your recovery, and do your best to stick to them.

Of course, certain sports injuries are more severe than others, and might require counselling and therapy to help to help you process the reality of it. The important thing is that you take a proactive role in your recovery, and never stop trying.

Article Submitted By Community Writer

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