At Aim Physiotherapy and Eastside Pilates, we understand that active sportsmen and women have different and specialised physiotherapy and exercise needs. Our experience with elite level sports teams and athletes enables us to quickly diagnose injuries and problems and commence effective treatments for the full range of sport injuries and issues. Whether you play sport socially or professionally, a sporting injury can put you out of action. Our team of physiotherapists and exercise physiologists provide expert advice and treatment to speed up healing processes and get your back on the field.
Injury types and causes
An injury arising from participation in sport can come in many forms – from acute injuries to chronic musculoskeletal problems and pain. With an understanding of the differences between these two categories of injury and their differing requirements for management, our physiotherapists and exercise physiologists will assist in the recovery process so you can get back to your active lifestyle.
In addition to trauma such as impacts, falls, and strains, overtraining, poor technique, postural deficiencies and muscle imbalances are all problems that can contribute to sporting injuries. We help identify the problems contributing to your pain and injury and help you to restore safe and efficient movement and performance in your sport, work and daily activities.
Our Approach
At Aim Physiotherapy and Eastside Pilates, our expert therapists have experience in the treatment of sports injuries and we strive to rehabilitate our patients as quickly as possible. When you come to our clinic, we will treat and educate you about your injury and your body, helping to restore health and mobility and prevent future injuries. Common injuries vary from sport to sport. Our experienced physiotherapists and exercise physiologists will provide effective treatment for your injury and guide you towards a successful recovery and return to your chosen sport, exercise or training.
Our focus is on early intervention for providing individualised advice, therapy and exercises to ensure:
- A fast recovery and return to pre-injury training and sport/exercise participation
- Abnormal compensations that may arise as a result of pain or injury are addressed
- Underlying problems or causes are identified and addressed in order to prevent injury/pain recurrence
- Prevention of transition from acute injury to chronic pain and injury.
Early intervention
By beginning treatment immediately after your injury, you can prevent further damage and promote a faster recovery. Whether you suffer from acute or chronic injuries, our team of experts can help you return to your usual sports and training routines as soon as possible.
The main goals of early stage treatment for an acute injury is reduction of swelling and pain and restoring your range of movement. As you progress, we can integrate stretching and strengthening programs and finally, we will retrain your sport-specific skills. We take the time to get to know you and tailor programs and treatments specifically for your injury and rehabilitation requirements.
Common Injuries and Conditions Related to Sport
Some of the more common sports-related injuries and conditions you will see include:
- Muscle tears and strains
- Back and neck injuries
- Overuse injuries
- Fractures and dislocations
- Bruises / Contusions /Corks
- Repetitive-motion injuries
- Torn ligaments
- Shoulder, arm, wrist and hand pain
- Leg, hip, knee, ankle and foot pain
- Bursitis & Tendonitis/ Tendinosis
Our Experience
We are experienced in treating sports injuries and providing on-field physiotherapy coverage to sporting clubs. In the past, our Physiotherapists have worked with:
- Campbelltown City Soccer Club
- North East Hockey club
- Unley Jets Football club
- North Adelaide Football club
- Olympic Games, Rio de Janiero (Brazil), 2016
- Iberoamerican Athletic Games, Rio de Janiero (Brazil), 2016
- Panamerican Games, Toronto (Canada), 2015
- South American Games, Santiago (Chile), 2014
- Bolivarianos Games, Trujillo (Peru), 2013
How can we help you?
Depending upon the cause and type of injury, our physiotherapist may use a variety of treatments:
- Stretching, mobilisation, soft tissue release and exercise for Mobility
- Endurance, strength, power, balance and proprioceptive exercises
- Agility training
- Sports massage / Remedial massage / trigger point release
- Gait analysis
- Running analysis
- Technique analysis and correction
- Muscle imbalance, postural and technique correction
- Soft tissue massage and passive mobilisation
- Ultrasound, electrical muscle stimulation, interferential therapy, biofeedback
- Taping and bracing
- Developing a treatment and rehabilitation plan
- Pilates exercise or rehabilitation programs
- Hydrotherapy exercise or rehabilitation programs
- Home or Gym exercise or rehabilitation programs
The staff at Aim Physiotherapy and Eastside Pilates believe in a rigorous assessment of your problem or injury, followed by the development of a detailed treatment plan. If you don’t know what the cause of the pain or problem is, how would you expect to fix it?
Once a diagnosis is made, the rehabilitation can begin. They key to solving problems is identifying root causes and ensuring that the right treatment and management regime is implemented to resolve symptoms, promote healing and restore function. This may initially involve hands-on treatment to ease stiffness, tightness and pain, allowing you to move better by removing tension from overloaded body segments. To make a full recovery and return to sport, you will need to involve exercises to progress your rehabilitation. This usually involves stretching to lengthen shortened muscles, regaining control of normal movement patterns and finally exercise for muscular balance and strength. For chronic sporting injuries or pain problems, it is sometimes necessary to modify technique or movement patterns to resolve problems in the long term.
We have onsite exercise rehabilitation facilities for sporting clubs/teams
Working together for optimal results
Our Accredited Exercise Physiologist works alongside our Physiotherapy team to enhance exercise rehabilitation for your injuries or musculoskeletal problems.
What should I do after a sports injury?
In the first 24 – 48hours after injury, use the R.I.C.E. method:
- Rest: Take it easy, but keep moving within your limit of pain.
- Ice: Apply ice for 15 minutes every 2 hours. This helps control pain and bleeding.
- Compression: Firmly bandage the knee. This helps stop bleeding and reduces swelling.
- Elevation: Have your knee higher than the level of your heart. This reduces swelling and bleeding.
- Then visit us for expert assessment and the development of a treatment plan.
Your chances of a full recovery will also be helped if you avoid the H.A.R.M. factors in the first 48 hours:
- Heat: Increases swelling and bleeding.
- Alcohol: Increases swelling and bleeding.
- Running or Exercise: Aggravates the injury.
- Massage: Increases swelling and bleeding.
Injury Prevention Tips
- Warm up before you exercise.
- Warm down when you finish.
- Build up your exercise program gradually. Steadily increase the frequency, intensity and duration of your sport participation and exercise / training.
- Vary activities to achieve a good balance of muscle development.
- Maintain good general fitness and lower body strength.
- Be on your toes – try and pivot on the balls of your feet when you turn.
Contact us in Adelaide today to make an appointment and to get back to the sport you love. Call us on 08 83311557.