As an athlete, training is part of your everyday routine. You’re likely used to regular workouts, drills and practice that help you work toward reaching your peak performance and athletic goals. That also means that there may come a time when you have to complete training after being away from your sport for a bit to get back into the swing of things. This may occur following an injury or an extensive break.
Returning to sport training refers to a component of sports medicine. It helps to ease an athlete back into play while addressing their current mental and physical challenges. The goal is to help you restore your abilities in a safe and effective manner.
By learning what you can expect from returning to sport training, you can alleviate the nerves of the uncertainty and look forward to getting back into the game.
What you need to know about returning to sport training as an athlete
Returning to sport training is a gradual process. It slowly increases in intensity throughout the stages. It helps you to safely restore your abilities that may have been impacted by an injury or time away from the sport to reduce the risk of issues or injuries. Essentially, you don't want to jump in too quickly or without preparation.Â
Training to return to a sport will involve considering the regulations for your chosen sport and skills. It also factors in your safety and functional abilities.Â
While the training may vary based on the type of sport that you’re returning to or the injury you’re recovering from, here are some things that are usually involved:
Clearance — The key to your safety and health is ensuring that you’re not jumping back into training before you are physically, mentally or emotionally ready. That’s why the first step for all return to sport training processes is written medical clearance by a physician, sports trainer or other related health care professional.Â
Rehabilitation for pain management — Once you’ve been deemed safe to get back to your physical activity, you’ll begin rehabilitation. It starts with low-level exercises and pain management techniques. This will likely involve light aerobic exercises, strengthening exercises and range-of-motion exercises. Practicing these exercises will enable you to perform everyday tasks outside of sports while reducing pain and inflammation. A physical therapist may also use modalities and techniques that can manage your pain, such as dry needling.
Gradual ramp-up — Rehabilitation will start off slow, but the intensity will gradually increase over time. A majority of returning to sport training consists of activity that ramps up in order to reintroduce the body back to its regular capabilities. This means starting off with general workouts, such as weightlifting and cardio. Then you'll move on to sport-specific exercises once your body has shown improvements in strength, agility, flexibility and balance.
Education about injury prevention — There are a variety of reasons why you may need to undergo returning to sports training. However, it’s most often due to injury recovery. You want to do more than recover from your current injury. It’s essential that you learn how to reduce the risk of it happening again when you go back to playing the sport that likely caused it. Education is an essential part of training, as it’s important to learn preventive measures, such as adjusting your techniques and acknowledging how your body feels.
Focus on mental health — Even though sports are physical activities, your mental well-being plays a large role in your performance. If you’re experiencing mental distress or symptoms of a mental health disorder, it can have a negative impact on your athletic performance and increase your risk of injury. When you undergo training to return to your sport, your health care professionals will help you work through mental blocks, such as trauma from the injury, and ensure that you’re able to handle potential stressors.
KC Rehab can help athletes throughout their returning to sport training
While it’s exciting to be able to get your mind and body back into the right place to play a sport, it’s not an easy or quick road. Return to sport training is a continuum; you’ll work through the right stages in order to reach the finish line. From restoring your strength to relearning sport-specific actions, returning to sport training is a process that shouldn’t be rushed. However, with the right support and guidance from KC Rehab, we can get you back in the game and doing what you love.
At KC Rehab, our sports medicine services include helping athletes return to sports by:
Restoring function
Reducing pain
Increasing strength, range of motion and flexibility
Teaching injury prevention
Contact our team today for more information or to schedule an initial appointment.
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