Receiving a back injury while being active is one of the most frustrating experiences an athlete can go through. While the injury itself is traumatic, you also are restricted on how quickly you can return to sports.
Naturally, you are going to be both excited and weary about returning to sports following a back injury. It can take anywhere from a few days to several months before your body will be ready to play sports again. Here’s what you should know.
The Injury Matters
The type of injury that you experienced can affect when you are ready to start up with sports again. Not all back injuries are created equal. A slipped or bulging disc might require surgery to repair, while a muscular injury requires rest and time. They would not take the same amount of time or rehabilitation to return you to your ideal shape.
Ask yourself the Right Questions
Check in with yourself and your body to see how you are really feeling. Safety should be your number one goal when it comes to recovering well enough to play again.
- Have you given yourself enough time? Surrey chiropractor Dr. Meier recommends allowing your body to heal before returning back to sports. Rushing your recovery time will not only keep you injured, but could also worsen the injury, further delaying your return to sports.
- What is your pain level? Your pain level from your back injury should be nearly non-existent when you return to sports. If you are still in a lot of pain, it is not time to start playing again.
- How is your range of motion? Are you able to move easily or are you restricted in movement? If you are not in pain, but are too stiff to move well, you are likely to reinjure your back and are probably not ready to return to sports.
- How did the injury happen to begin with? Do you know what caused the injury to begin with? Did it happen while playing the sport? If it did, you might need to give yourself even more time to heal first.
When the Time is Right
So when can you tell if the time is right to return to sports? If you are out of pain and have healed, can you jump right back in? Of course not.
Going back to your activity level immediately after an injury is not a good idea.
Instead, you should give yourself a chance to recondition your body. This can be done with a chiropractor, physical therapist, or with your physician. The end goal should be to help your back strengthen well enough so that you can play again without pain or injury. Ideally, the reconditioning would make your back even stronger than before, giving yourself a good preventive measure against getting injured yet again.
Do you still want to Play?
One of the most important questions you should ask is whether you still want to play the sport that injured you. If you are not that interested, going through all of the work that would be required to rejoin the sport might not be worth it for you and it might be time to consider trying a different sport. You should also consider that, depending on the injury, you might not be able to play the sport the same way that you had previously.
Ultimately, you do not want to push yourself when it comes to rehabilitation and recovery. You need to allow your body to heal well enough that you could play the sport with ease before attempting to play again.