Knee

Physical Therapy For Athletes

Benefits Of Physical Therapy For Athletes

Physical Therapy For Athletes

Physical therapy and sports medicine for athletes focus on the mechanics of your moving body. How an athlete’s body moves, what muscles and ligaments are used in each movement, and what are the strengths and weaknesses to work on in order to fully recover.

Working with a physical therapist will aid athletes in getting back on their feet (metaphorically and literally) quicker, safer, and more efficient.

Sports Injury Doctor

 

What is Physical Therapy?

Working with a Physical Therapist for athletes is like calling an auto mechanic for your car when you see a check engine light. Just like a mechanic will run the engine, listen for unusual noises, and watch the engine at work, your physical therapist will do the same after an athlete is injured.

In sports medicine, a physical therapist is a diagnostician. First, they assess the movements of your body to provide an accurate injury diagnosis, determine why the injury occurred, and consider other risk factors for future injuries. After your initial evaluation, your physical therapist will make a personalized treatment plan that includes a combination of hands-on orthopedic manual techniques, improving muscle strength, stability of the joints, optimizing mobility, and decreasing pain.

Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy

For instance, if you’ve injured your Achilles tendon, they’ll examine it by checking the range of motion, level of pain, and how strong the associated muscles are. Then, a treatment plan to get you back on your feet is drawn up, including strengthening techniques, flexibility techniques, and other things designed to bring strength and mobility back.

Physical therapy is designed to bring function back after an injury holistically. What’s more, it’s also meant to prevent sports injuries by educating about proper moving techniques before the tendon ever ruptures.

Why is Physical Therapy Important for Athletes?

Relive Pain, Restore Function, and Prevent Future Injuries are the most important goals for athletes after suffering an injury.

Pain when moving is always unpleasant, but more so for athletes. Physical therapy has techniques for immediate pain relief (such as dry needling, Kinesio taping, or cupping therapy) to make all athletes more comfortable so they can progress to more advanced exercises in order to return to competition.

In addition, a physical therapist specializing in sports medicine has methods for bringing your body back from injury to get your body back into peak performance. Assessing what went wrong in your body allows them to formulate how to fix it and give tangible methods for strengthening the injury.

After an injury, strength, and mobility can be compromised. For instance, rolling your ankle on the field means it’s tender for a long time afterward and not supporting your weight as well. Maybe it won’t support your weight to run down the field anymore, or it supports your weight but hurts so much you can’t see the ball anymore. 

Physical therapy will help build the strength in that ankle back to where it was before the injury, eliminating the pain of that injury, as well as safeguarding against future damage. 

Sometimes an injury can take a long time to heal. In the meantime, strength is lost, and it can feel insurmountable to get it back. In physical therapy, we focus on regaining that strength safely and healthily to protect against re-injury. As a result, some people even feel stronger than before the injury.

Reducing Pain and Understanding Your Body

A physical therapist has specific training to understand your body and how sports injuries can happen. In physical therapy, we focus on fixing pain and reducing and preventing it. Physical therapists can suggest correct techniques and help you determine what works best for your body to keep it strong.

Sports Medicine Doctor

Then, we’ll work one-on-one with you to show you the proper procedures so that these sensitive areas of your body are taken care of so well you won’t have to worry about them. These strengthening techniques don’t only fix what’s broken but also help keep them from breaking.

The Value of Balanced Physical Therapy

When doing physical therapy, you want to choose professionals at the top of their field. Our doctors are movement specialists who understand how your body moves during your sport and all the stresses that come with training and competing at a high level.

With Balanced Physical Therapy, you are treated as individuals with unique needs. Our athletes work one-on-one with a certified Doctor of Physical Therapist and are not passed around between assistants, techs, or aids. Each treatment is 1 hour, allowing for the safest, most professional care.

Our doctors also have experience working with male and female athletes of all levels in a vast range of sports, including:

  • Track-and field
  • Football
  • Soccer
  • Basketball
  • Swimming
  • Gymnastics
  • Wrestling
  • Performance Arts
  • ..And more

Physical Therapy Prevents and Heals Sports Injuries

There are multiple disciplines in sports medicine. Depending on age, sports, and injury type, Balanced Physical Therapy has options that are proven to get you back to competing. Contact Us Today to speak with one of our licensed and certified Doctors of Physical Therapy or to get started with an initial evaluation.

 

Knee Replacement Surgery

13 Week Recovery Timeline For Knee Replacement

Find out how long it will take to recover from a knee replacement surgery. This general, 13 week timeline is an overview of common things to expect during your hospital stay, at home, and outpatient physical therapy.

How Long Does Recovering From Knee Replacement Surgery Take?

When patients and their orthopedic surgeons agree that knee replacement surgery is a good option, one of the first questions or concerns usually is “how long will the recovery process take?” The simple answer would be about 13 weeks to recover. This timeline is dependant on a lot of factors such as type of procedure, limiting complications, and being consistent with their doctor and physical therapy visits.

Patients typically have a good understanding of the benefits of having a knee replaced, but they also appreciate knowing what is required to reach those benefits. A knee replacement, otherwise known as knee arthroplasty, is one of the most successful surgeries performed throughout the world. If you want to be a part of the 90% of people with a well-functioning knee, 15 years post-surgery, understanding each part of the recovery process can help you with that goal. 

Balanced Physical Therapy has combined real-world experience with proven clinical research from around the internet to help you better understand each part of the recovery process, specific timelines for recovery, and why each element is essential. 

Knee Replacement Recovery Timeline

Generally, someone who undergoes a knee arthroplasty takes about 12-14 weeks to recover fully. With the help of the Wisconsin School of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation and Healthline, we have broken down the recovery process into 5 phases:

Phase 1: Hospital Stay to Discharge

Phase 2: Weeks 1-2, 

Phase 3: Weeks 3-6, 

Phase 4: Weeks 7-12

Phase 5: Weeks 13 and Beyond

Knee Replacement Recovery Phase 1: Hospital Stay and Discharge

A typical hospital stay after a knee arthroplasty ranges anywhere from 1-3 days. Some patients even leave the same day, which depends on the type of procedure that is performed.

Hospital Stay After Knee Replacement

The reason knee replacement surgeries are so successful is because of their relatively low risk of complications. A majority of your hospital stay will include surgeons and hospital staff working hard to prevent complications such as infection, blood clots, pain, hardware issues, and neurovascular injuries. 

While your healthcare team continues to monitor and prevent complications, patients can expect to start rehabilitation soon after the surgery. Within 24 hours, patients will work with a physical therapist to begin standing and walking again. Lack of confidence is very common during this time, so crutches and walkers help provide that extra support many patients require. 

Another standard device used amongst the knee replacement population is a continuous passive motion (CPM) machine. This machine helps provide your knee with a constant motion to prevent scar tissue buildup and stiffness from being immobile. You can expect your surgeon or physical therapist to help educate you about this device and how to use it at home.

Knee Replacement Recovery Phase 2: Weeks 1-3

The first week after undergoing knee arthroplasty, patients can expect to be back in the comfort of their own homes. One of the first and most important things to know during this period is your follow-up appointment with your surgeon. Typically the follow-up is scheduled about two weeks after the knee replacement and is something every patient should markdown as “must-attend.”

Phase 2 of knee replacement rehabilitation also includes patients becoming more active with therapy. Some patients start treatment at home, while others can attend an outpatient clinic. One is not necessarily better than the other; it just depends on a person’s health status.

Some goals and priorities to be aware of include:

  • Reduce pain and stiffness
  • Being able to transfer from lying to sitting to standing safely with the help of assistive devices
  • Being able to “heel strike” while ambulating
  • Increase knee range of motion
  • Ability to extend leg without lag
  • Being consistent with the home exercise program provided
  • Understanding the pain scale and the difference between “hurt and harm.”

Your physical therapist will design a rehab program to help you reach these goals without harming the new knee hardware or incision. Examples of exercises to expect for the weeks 1-3 after your surgery include:

  • Heel Slides
  • Quadriceps Sets
  • Straight Leg Raises
  • Sit To Stand Squats
  • Stationary bike with little to no resistance
  • Hamstring Curls

One of the best things about Phase 2 is that while you train your body to regain a proper gait and pain-free life, your therapist will also mix in modalities to help you progress more. Common knee replacement modalities include 

  • Electrical stimulation (E-stim) can help activate the quadriceps better
  • transcutaneous electrical stimulation (TENS) can be applied to help control pain symptoms
  • Soft tissue mobilization on elevated surfaces to help reduce edema (also known as swelling)

Note: These therapeutic modalities can and often are used throughout all phases of knee rehabilitation.

Knee Replacement Recovery Phase 3: Weeks 3-6

The third phase of recovering from a knee replacement is typically outside the home, in an outpatient physical therapy setting. A follow-up appointment around the six-week mark is also required, just like the one at the two-week mark. 

The main goals for patients that are 3-6 weeks post-surgery include:

  • Continue improving knee range of motion and quad strength
  • Progress strengthening towards bodyweight, functional ambulation
  • Normalization of gait (walking)
  • Reduce the need for assistive devices, such as walking with only one crutch a just using a cane
  • Walking short distances without using any assistive devices

During this part of the knee rehabilitation, patients are progressed with more moderate exercises such as:

  • Sit to stand squats
  • Leg Press
  • Stationary bike with resistance
  • Single leg balance
  • Gastrocnemius strengthening
  • Standing knee extension with therabands
  • Hip and core strengthening as needed
  • Neuromuscular reeducation
  • Pool therapy (must have authorization from a surgeon, never before four weeks, and must have a closed incision)

Knee Replacement Recovery Phase 4: Weeks 7-12

When recovering from knee arthroplasty, the fourth phase is when most patients see the most rapid improvement to mobility and range of motion. It is an exciting time where the hard work of attending physical 2-3 times a week and staying compliant with home exercise programs starts to pay off. 

Some common goals and milestones during this phase of rehab include:

  • No extensor lag (lack of full knee extension with full quadriceps contraction)
  • Normal gait without the use of an assistive device
  • Engaging in everyday activities such as driving, housekeeping, and shopping
  • Ability to ascend and descend 1-2 flight of stairs with a reciprocal gait

Knee Replacement Recovery Goals

Your physical therapist will continue to progress your rehab and increase difficulty in the 7-12 weeks following surgery. Patients can expect exercises such as:

  • Toe and heel raises while standing
  • Single leg balances
  • Step-ups in multiple directions
  • Continued lower extremity strengthening

Even if you do not see the best results, it is crucial to stay the course. Don’t give up, ask questions, and continue to follow the guidance of your healthcare team.

Knee Replacement Recovery Phase 5: Weeks 13 and Beyond

After 13 weeks since your surgery, most patients are happy to see the finish line. Some patients may still be attending physical therapy to reach the goals you set entirely, while others are safe for discharge. Both scenarios are expected, and it varies from person to person.

Providing you have not experienced any major setbacks or complications, pain should be almost nonexistent. It is a good idea to still check in with your healthcare team. If you have pain, swelling, stiffness, or unusual movement, it is always best to call your doctor immediately.

At Balanced Physical Therapy, we understand how important fully recovering from knee surgery is to our patients. From your first evaluation, we take the time to understand everything about you and your condition. Our treatments consist of one-on-one therapy with board-certified physical therapists who are always willing to help. Call us at (586) 741-5806 or visit our Appointments page to schedule an evaluation.