Focusing
on Injury
Recovery
by BRANDON REAM, owner,
MVP Therapy & Sports Medicine
FOLLOWING AN INJURY, there are times that returning to
golf is possible before the injury is completely healed. Most of the
time, however, it is necessary to take the joint body part through
a sequence of steps to restore play without pain at the previous
high level.
Licensed therapists first identify the main impairments
related to the injury. We then push athletes through the stages
of rehabilitation with a wide range of tools. Of course, we use
exercise, manual therapy, and other modalities. But education
is the main emphasis. We answer the burning questions: How
hard should I push? How can I speed up my healing? And we
provide steps athletes can take after healing to prevent the
injury from happening again.
Brandon Ream has been a physical therapist in the greater Richmond
area for over 20 years. He has been a Certified Strength and
Conditioning Specialist since 1997 and is also Level One Certified
with the Titleist Performance Institute. He is the independent owner
and operator of MVP Therapy & Sports Medicine.
TO A PHYSICAL THERAPIST, THE STEPS USUALLY LOOK SOMETHING LIKE THIS:
Rest
Immobilize and rest to allow the body to fight
the inflammation and do no further harm.
Move
Move the joint or body part, passively and then
actively, through its normal range of motion
needed for daily activities.
Stretch
Move to the “end ranges” of motion, or extremes,
which are necessary for restoring high levels of
mobility necessary for the sport.
vsga.org
Resist
Go through progressive activities of resisting
movement of the limb. Start in normal ranges
of motion, then movements to extreme ranges,
which simulate the techniques of the sport or
activity. The focus in this stage is to restore
power and speed.
Play
Gradually return to play after moving through
these stages with only low levels of soreness. Of
course, any injured athlete’s goal is to matriculate
through these stages and return to play as fast and
painlessly as possible. Sometimes the process is
intuitive. But when it is not, or an athlete is stuck at
a plateau, it’s time to get professional help from a
sports-minded physical therapist.
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