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GOING BACK TO SPORTS AFTER AN INJURY

Seeing a doctor, getting a diagnosis and undergoing treatment or surgery are only half of what you should do when you suffer a sports injury. The other half is physiotherapy, which is more important than people realise.

If you injure your knee, for example, and stop using it even for walking, within a week or two, your thigh muscles will begin to wear out.

The muscle is there to stabilise your limbs, so a weak muscle compromises movement.

Physiotherapy strengthens the muscles to the point that they can support limbs and aggressive movement again. It also prevents atrophy and improves proprioception, the sense of strength and effort employed in moving a limb, the positioning of the limb, and the limits of what the limb can do.

Recovery and rehabilitation takes a lot of time. Athletes should not be discouraged, but rather be secure in the knowledge that proper care means being able to give 100 per cent to their game once they go back to it.

This is something that professional athletes understand - although the pressure to get back out on the field is high, time is necessary for complete healing. Taking short cuts risks more injuries in the future. An example of this is LA Lakers basketball player Kobe Bryant, who ruptured his Achilles tendon two weeks ago. According to news reports, it will take six to nine months for him to fully recover and get back in the game.