Psychological And Age Factors To Consider After A Sports Injury

by | Dec 2, 2016 | Pain Management Physician

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It’s essential for someone who has experienced a serious Sports Injury to receive the proper treatment and plenty of professional support for recovery. Amateur and professional athletes alike can develop anxiety and even fear about returning to their favorite sports activities and continuing to play. They don’t want to become re-injured and risk chronic pain or a reduction in physical functioning. With physical therapy and a broad range of pain management strategies, patients recover without being afraid of athletic activity. They learn to gradually build up to their previous level of functioning, which helps them avoid re-injury.

When doctors and therapists have determined that the patient is reaching full recovery from a Sports Injury, it’s helpful for that patient to consider the level of confidence he or she has about athletics now. Patients instinctively know when they are both physically and psychologically ready to return to their sport at the amount of time and effort they used to spend on it. The health care practitioners may have evaluated this client as 100 percent ready, but the individual may only feel 50 percent ready. That’s a strong indication that emotional factors are interfering with the person’s intent to become fully active again. The practitioners at a facility such as Aspire Pain Medical Center can help by talking with the patient and providing relevant information about risks of future injury and how to prevent this from occurring.

In some cases, a person may rationally decide not to return to a particular sports activity. This isn’t because of fear per se, but an acceptance that age is affecting their physical ability and that switching to less demanding athletics is advisable. This should not be a moment of self-blame or anger, but rather one of understanding. The individual can be mindful that professional athletes in most sports are only rarely above the age of 40. A middle-aged person who has enjoyed playing racquetball until a knee injury occurred might consider switching to tennis, or at least to the less rigorous doubles racquetball. A large number of athletic activities can still be participated in well beyond middle age without significant risk of injury. You can follow them on Google+ for more information.

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