Written by: Jonathon Cooper, PTA, NesinFIT @ Lincoln Mill Clinic Director
Who’s been guilty of ignoring pain or injury in the hopes that it will go away after a few days? It’s probably safe to say we’ve all been there. No athlete likes the thought of missing practice or competing in games, which results in many dedicated athletes pushing through the pain, making the situation much worse, and extending the recovery time. The same goes for “weekend warriors” who are juggling life and decide to ignore their pain or injury because who has the time.
Those who acknowledge pain, and seek help, often find themselves quickly back to their sport or favorite activity without losing so much time. For those who choose to “tough it out” and ignore their injury, it can result in missing more time from your sport or favorite activity.
One high football player came to see me after being diagnosed with a displaced rib. The injury had occurred at least two weeks earlier. Doing well in practice, and not wanting to lose his spot, he ignored the injury until it got to the point, he could not lift his left arm. He left the doctor’s office with a prescription for physical therapy and a mandatory two-week rest from football. The longer the young athlete ignored the injury, the more inflamed and swollen tissues became and the adjusted rib kept trying to slip back out of place. Our team of experts were able to help reduce the inflammation and swelling; but, the athlete had to forgo two weeks of practice. If he had been treated at the time of the injury, there is a good chance he would not have missed as much time as he did.
Ultimately, pain is a signal from the body that there is a problem. Identifying the cause, addressing the symptoms, strengthening the surrounding areas and adjusting your technique can drastically reduce the amount of time you are away from your sport or activity if you don’t wait. Our therapists can help:
- Improve your stability and balance
- Teach proper technique
- Assist with warm up and cool down exercises
- Help with strengthening
- Work on muscle strength and alignment
If you’ve been ignoring pain, give one of our NesinFIT clinics a call to schedule an appointment- NesinFIT @ Lincoln Mill: 256.489.1100 or NesinFIT @ Madison: 256.461.9654.