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Lifestyle Physical TherapyBlogHelp and Information4 Reasons an Athlete should not play through an Injury
By Karen Shuler Help and Information, Pain, Physio, Sporting , ,

4 Reasons an Athlete should not play through an Injury

4 Reasons An Athlete Should Not Play Through an Injury:

  1. The longer an overuse injury is left untreated, the longer it takes to heal resulting in time away from sport1
  2. Untreated overuse Injuries reduce performance and increase the risk of injury while competing1
  3. Overuse injuries left untreated can lead to further breakdown in the body and result in injuries that require surgery. This causes the athlete to stop competing1
  4. Untreated overuse injuries can lead to career-ending Injuries1

No Pain No Gain

You have heard the saying “No Pain, No Gain”, but this does not apply when dealing with an Injury. The clinical journal of Sports Medicine reports that 40% of high school and 45 to 50% of Collegiate student-athletes underreport overuse injuries so they can keep playing.2 Athletes need to learn to listen to their body and recognize when something is not feeling right while exercising or playing their sport. Being more present and discerning normal workout soreness from overuse pain can save them time away from their sport and experiencing career-ending injuries.

How to discern Pain from competing versus Pain due to an injury

Soreness and pain from competing will resolve quickly with time, massage, and recovery techniques. Pain due to injury does not change and does not go away while competing. Teach your athlete to recognize repetitive pain and seek help to make adjustments now, so it does not lead to further injury later. If an Athlete is experiencing pain while playing the sport they should report it to their coach, Athletic Trainer, Physical Therapist, and/or Physician.

We are Here to Help

At Lifestyle Physical Therapy we know it can be hard to discern if your athlete is experiencing pain from training or an overuse injury, so we want to help you with that. Call or text our office at 803-831-1454 and request a Free Discovery visit to meet with one of our Doctor’s of Physical Therapy. We are here to help.  @lifestylept2, @lifestylephysicaltherapyLLC

References

  1. Slobounav, Semyon M. Injuries in Athletics Causes and Consequences. 2008 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=66vgWGB1Oh8C&oi=fnd&pg=PR7&dq=consequences+athletes+playing+through+injury&ots=5Ke88Jw8E8&sig=KbViALCSOYLZ_gp_n-9EMJW23O0#v=onepage&q=consequences%20athletes%20playing%20through%20injury&f=false
  2. Mallard, Zachary, “What Factors Affect an Athlete’s Injury Reporting Decisions” (2017). Sport Management Undergraduate. Paper 124.

This Article is intended for education Purposes only and is not intended to diagnose or provide guidelines for treatment. Consult a physical therapist and a physician to determine the caus