How to Find Help With Sports Rehabilitation

“Sports injury recovery typically focuses on physical rehab, but it’s also important to include sports psychology techniques to help recover mentally. This is because, as research shows, sports people can experience a wide range of emotions with injury; these can include denial, anger, sadness, & even depression” [1]

This is quite understandable, so to that end, making an appointment with an Experienced Pain Specialist who can give you an accurate diagnosis, & compile a Holistic Treatment Plan, is the way to get back to optimum physical & mental health as soon as possible

What Happens at My Consultation With a Pain Specialist?

When you have an in-person or virtual appointment: in the first instance, your Pain Consultant will review your medical history, and then ask you pertinent questions as to your injury, and the symptoms you experience. To that end, you are advised to compile a ‘Pain Diary.’ This should be divided into days and hours (for example, two pages equates to one day with 24 hourly slots). This way, whenever you experience one or more symptoms, record them (and the duration) in your Pain Diary, and note what you were doing before, and at the time of your pain. If you are experiencing certain types of pain or sensations all the time, then you can note this as a weekly occurrence, at the end of each week.

What Sort of Treatment Can a Pain Specialist Offer?

Treatment varies according to the individual, and their specific needs. Popular treatments with a Pain Doctor, comprise:

• A referral to an in-house sports physiotherapist
• Prescription pain relievers and anti-inflammatories (subject to contra-indications)
• Corticosteroid injections (synthetic steroids, also known as corticosteroids, are medicines which are specifically designed to reduce inflammation). According to the NHS: “Steroids do not tend to cause significant side effects if they’re taken for a short time or at a low dose” [2]

When your Pain Specialist draws up a Holistic Personalised Treatment Plan, they may recommend setting up, and then later, reviewing, specific recovery goals. These could, for example, include: rest and relaxation for a certain period of time; booking in a precise number of physiotherapy sessions; and having a corticosteroid injection as soon as possible. (The latter can be very helpful if you are experiencing a lot of pain, tenderness and swelling) [2].

References

[1]. Quinn, E. (2020). “How to Cope With a Sports Injury.” VeryWell Fit.
https://www.verywellfit.com/the-emotional-stress-of-a-sports-injury-3120689

[2]. NHS (2020). “Steroids.” https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/steroids/