Sports injuries
Getting back to your sport is not the same as being pain-free. Returning too early is the single most common reason an injury comes back.
Acute or gradual
Acute injuries happen in a moment: an ankle sprain, a hamstring tear, a knee twisting under you.
Overload injuries build up over weeks. Runner’s knee, achilles tendon problems, shin splints, tennis elbow. The cause is almost always a change — more training, new shoes, a different surface, less recovery.
The first days after an acute injury
Keep moving within what you can tolerate, protect the area from further damage, and avoid complete rest. Prolonged icing and full immobilisation are no longer standard advice. If you cannot bear weight, if the joint deformed, or if the swelling is severe within an hour, get it looked at.
Returning to sport
Being pain-free is a starting point, not a finish line. Before returning we look at whether strength matches the other side, whether you can sprint, cut and land, and whether you trust the limb. That last one is more predictive of re-injury than most physical tests.
Preventing the next one
- Increase training load gradually rather than in jumps.
- Strength training reduces injury risk in nearly every sport.
- Recovery is part of training, not a gap between sessions.
- Finish your rehab. Most recurrences happen in people who stopped once the pain went.
Ready to book?
No referral needed. We treat in English at both locations.