After a sports injury, there are three primary rehabilitation objectives. The athlete needs to build strength, improve balance/flexibility, and increase endurance.
Strength-Building
According to sportsinjuryclinic.net, the first step is restoring the tensile strength of the damaged tissue. This can be a frustrating portion of the rehabilitation process because putting too much weight or strain on that damaged area too soon can set the entire process back. That is why professionals should always be consulted during the rehabilitation journey.
Building strength takes time and patience. It is important to start slowly with your exercise types and routines. Make sure you are incorporating rest into your sports rehabilitation regimen so that the muscles have time to recover and don’t become over-strained. Nutritional choices, intake of water, and supplementing your strength-building exercises with other kinds of workouts like aerobic exercising will also help.
Resistance exercises with a product like REP Band are ideal for this stage of injury rehab. You can begin with the band that offers the least resistance and move up in progressive resistance levels as you gain strength.
Improve Balance/Flexibility
The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) offers some excellent recommendations for how to improve your balance and flexibility with simple exercises. Like building strength, improving balance and flexibility is a process that will take time. Using a safe, secure proven surface like an Airex Balance Pad or Yoga Mat can be helpful during your sports injury rehab.
Increase Endurance
Finally, the rehabilitation process after a sports injury involves increasing your endurance. Men’s Fitness Magazine recommends continuing your regular sports rehabilitation program for a few weeks after you start to feel like your old self again just to make sure you don’t overdo it. This article from Livestrong offers some great exercises for building stamina.
Once your endurance is where you want it to be, ask your doctor if you are ready to go back to your usual pre-injury routine.