How to Recover from a Serious Injury

Everyone on a Sunday afternoon from the cheering dads on the sideline to the star quarterback is aware of the constantly looming threat of muscle tears and sprains. They happen, and there is no fail-safe way of ensuring you never receive one. Even the iced bathed and well-oil superstars with the best coaching and physiotherapy in the world cannot avoid the wrath of torn muscles – and it’s nothing to be ashamed of – even Achilles was eventually thwarted by a tear in his ankle. Maybe he should have subscribed to our blog.

Last week, we outlined PRICE – Protect, Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevate - which is the immediate response you or a physio should have a sprain or tear. The sooner after the injury you attend to the area the better effect it will have. Your physio will be able to advise you on the level of the tear (graded from 1-3) and help draft a bespoke plan as to how you should implement the routine.

In most cases, the subsequent procedure should see you through most of the recovery. For more serious damage, consulting a physiotherapist on a regular basis for sports massages may be necessary. During your first visit, your physiotherapist will likely ask you about the activity that led to this damage and conduct a thorough physical examination to determine how severe the tear is. This is especially important if there was no on-site physio after the initial damage. Your comprehensive plan could include:

·        Ice or heat to reduce swelling

·        Electrotherapeutic modalities which use sound waves to heat up and repair deeper tissue

·        Soft tissue mobilization to relieve muscle spasms or tight muscles

Your physio will include self-stretching routines to mobilize muscles and reduce long-term damage. Stretching the damaged area will allow it to regain flexibility as weakness tends to occur when you do not move or contract a limb for a long period of time. It can also affect your ability to move a joint at full range. Stretching can help loosen tight muscles and increase the range of motion after sustaining a sprain or tear. These can either be done with your physiotherapist or at the gym/home. Stretch programmes work best alongside sports massages – however, if you do not have access to these – then foam rollers (which you can find by typing “buy foam roller” into Google) are fantastic at self-massaging.

The final step to recovery is strength training. This doesn’t mean an Arnold Schwarzenegger Boot Camp but a progressive exercise routine that will gradually build up the damaged area. After a muscle is damaged but before it is fully recovered the area will still be significantly weaker than it was before. The job now is to build up to your “normal” amount – and exercises should be given according to your level of fitness and specific muscles affected. Strengthening your muscles will help you get back to your previous activities and can help prevent future injuries.

If you have suffered from a tear or strain, please contact us at Mount Sinai Department of Rehabilitative Medicine for a bespoke rehab plan. Contact our switchboard at (212) 241-6321