Rehab

At some point in our lives most of us suffer from an accident or injury. If you play a sport regularly, particularly a contact sport such as football or rugby, then injuries are almost unavoidable. However, the way we react to and treat an injury is crucial if we are to fully recover and reduce the risk of repeat or chronic problems. That is where rehab comes in.

The term rehab covers a range of areas - it can refer to drug recovery programmes, treatment following a serious illness such as a heart attack, or the response to physical injury. Rehab for physical injuries has two main goals:

• Initial recovery: First and foremost you need to treat the injury. That means avoiding worsening the injury, and getting back to normal function as soon as possible.
• Full recovery: Many of us have the experience of an old injury that leaves us with a weakness or a deficit - reduced strength, loss of flexibility, or a susceptibility to re-injury. An effective after-care programme will ensure that an injured site heals to a point where it is as good as, if not better, than it was before the injury.

How is this done? A certified therapist will prescribe a programme designed to help you heal the injury as soon as possible, then combine strengthening and flexibility exercises to ensure that the injured area does not become a long-term problem.