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Medically Reviewed by Dr. Chirag Arora
Written by Swasthya Saarthi Editorial Team, last updated on 15 February 2025
Common sports injuries are a part of an athlete's life, whether they are a professional competitor or an amateur enthusiast. From sprained ankles to torn ligaments, these injuries can range from mild to severe, disrupting an athlete’s training, competition, and overall well-being. However, the good news is that most sports injuries can be effectively treated and managed through sports injury physiotherapy. Physiotherapists are trained to help individuals recover, rebuild strength, and prevent future injuries, ensuring a speedy and safe return to physical activity.
In this blog, we'll discuss some of the most common sports injuries and how physiotherapy plays a crucial role in recovery.
What Are They?
Sprains refer to the stretching or tearing of ligaments (the tissue connecting bones to each other) due to excessive force.
Strains occur when muscles or tendons (the tissue connecting muscles to bones) are overstretched or torn.
These common sports injuries often happen during activities that involve sudden movements or high-impact actions, such as twisting an ankle while running or pulling a muscle during a sprint.
How Sports Injury Physiotherapy Helps:
Physiotherapists use a combination of manual therapy, exercise therapy, and modalities like cold or heat treatments to reduce pain and swelling. Once the acute pain subsides, sports injury physiotherapy introduces strengthening exercises to rebuild the injured muscles or ligaments, restore range of motion, and prevent re-injury.
What Is It?
Tendinitis is the inflammation of a tendon caused by repetitive stress or overuse. It's commonly seen in common sports injuries related to tennis, baseball, or running.
How Sports Injury Physiotherapy Helps:
Physiotherapists employ techniques such as rest, ice, and elevation (R.I.C.E) during the initial stages to reduce swelling and pain. Afterward, sports injury physiotherapy focuses on stretching, strengthening exercises, and techniques like ultrasound therapy or dry needling to alleviate inflammation and promote tissue healing.
What Are They?
Fractures, or broken bones, are one of the more serious common sports injuries, especially in contact sports like football, hockey, or cycling.
How Sports Injury Physiotherapy Helps:
Once the fracture has been treated, typically through casting or surgery, sports injury physiotherapy begins during the rehabilitation phase. Physiotherapists guide patients through gentle movements to regain mobility, reduce stiffness, and strengthen muscles surrounding the injury site.
What Are They?
Dislocations occur when bones are forced out of their normal positions, usually due to extreme force. These common sports injuries often happen in contact sports like rugby, basketball, or martial arts.
How Sports Injury Physiotherapy Helps:
After a medical professional treats the dislocation, sports injury physiotherapy is crucial for restoring function. Physiotherapists use manual therapy, strengthening exercises, and balance training to rebuild the surrounding muscles and prevent future dislocations.
What Are They?
An ACL injury is a tear or sprain of the anterior cruciate ligament in the knee, one of the most common sports injuries in soccer, skiing, and basketball.
How Sports Injury Physiotherapy Helps:
Physiotherapy is crucial both before and after ACL surgery. Sports injury physiotherapy focuses on reducing swelling, restoring knee movement, and strengthening the muscles around the knee.
What Are They?
Shin splints refer to pain along the shin bone (tibia) that commonly results from repetitive impact activities like running.
How Sports Injury Physiotherapy Helps:
Physiotherapists identify the root causes of shin splints, such as poor footwear or muscle imbalances. Sports injury physiotherapy includes rest, ice, strengthening exercises, and technique modifications to reduce stress on the shins.
What Are They?
A concussion is a traumatic brain injury that can occur in contact sports like football or boxing.
How Sports Injury Physiotherapy Helps:
Sports injury physiotherapy for concussion recovery includes balance training, vestibular rehabilitation, and gradual return-to-play protocols to ensure safe recovery.
What Is It?
Lower back pain is one of the most common sports injuries, often resulting from poor posture, muscle imbalances, or overuse.
How Sports Injury Physiotherapy Helps:
Physiotherapists assess the underlying causes of back pain and create a personalized plan including stretching, strengthening exercises, and postural corrections.
While minor injuries like mild sprains or muscle soreness can be managed with rest, ice, compression, and elevation (R.I.C.E), you should consult a doctor if you experience:
The type of doctor you should visit depends on the severity and nature of your injury:
Neurologist – If you suffer from a concussion or nerve-related injury, a neurologist may be required for further evaluation.
Once a doctor has diagnosed your injury, sports injury physiotherapy plays a key role in the recovery process by:
If you're dealing with a common sports injury, it's best to consult the right doctor early and begin sports injury physiotherapy to ensure a safe and effective recovery.
Swasthya Saarthi, led by Dr. Pankaj Bajaj, specializes in treating common sports injuries through expert diagnosis, advanced sports injury physiotherapy, and personalized rehabilitation. Using AI-based assessments and functional muscle tests, they accurately identify injuries and provide targeted treatment. Their services range from non-surgical therapies and regenerative orthopedics to advanced surgical interventions like ligament repairs. With a strong focus on post-injury recovery, Swasthya Saarthi helps athletes regain strength, mobility, and return to their sport safely.
Common sports injuries can be frustrating, but with the right treatment plan, athletes can recover effectively. Sports injury physiotherapy plays a key role in recovery, offering specialized techniques to restore strength, mobility, and function. Whether it's a minor sprain or a major ligament tear, physiotherapists provide expert care to help individuals heal safely and get back to their sport.
If you're dealing with a sports injury, reach out to a qualified sports injury physiotherapy professional for a safe and efficient recovery.
Common sports injuries include sprains, strains, fractures, dislocations, tendinitis, ACL injuries, shin splints, concussions, and lower back pain.
Sports injury physiotherapy helps by reducing pain and inflammation, improving flexibility and mobility, strengthening muscles, and preventing future injuries through targeted rehabilitation exercises.
You should see a doctor if you experience severe pain, swelling, bruising, inability to move the injured area, a visible deformity, or persistent pain that doesn’t improve with home care.
Depending on the injury, you may need a general physician, orthopedic specialist, sports medicine doctor, physiotherapist, or neurologist for proper diagnosis and treatment.
Yes, physiotherapists help prevent injuries by improving strength, flexibility, posture, and movement techniques, reducing the risk of future injuries.
