I ran track my freshman year of high school — and it definitely wasn’t love at first jog. I was sweaty and out of shape and I struggled to keep up with kids who’d been running competitively throughout high school and even middle school. No one would ever call me fast, but that season did kick-start my decade-long love affair with running.
As an adult, I started focusing my attention more on endurance and longer-distance running. But a few months in, I noticed a consistent, aching pain running down the front of both my shins. The pain was annoying at first but slowly became severe enough to hurt during normal, day-to-day activities. I was experiencing shin splints — also known as medial tibial stress syndrome — a common sports injury in runners caused by repetitive stress on the shin bones.
“A sports injury is any type of injury incurred during sport-related activities, such as competition, strength training activities or conditioning-related activities,” says Andrew R. Jagim, Ph.D., director of sports medicine research at Mayo Clinic Health System. Some sports injuries are chronic — meaning, as in my case, they develop gradually from repetitive use or overuse of certain body parts — while other injuries are sudden. Acute sports injuries include a sprain, fracture, concussion or dislocation.
Recovering from a sports injury depends on many factors, most importantly the type and severity. But no matter the injury, Dr. Jagim says it’s important to give yourself time to fully heal before rushing back to competition or trying to “fight through the pain.” In other words, don’t be like me and ignore your injury until you’re struggling on and off the field.
Below, Dr. Jagim goes over everything you need to know about bouncing back from a sports injury as quickly as possible.
What to expect from a sports injury
The exact symptoms of a sports injury depend on the injury and body parts affected. But, in general, signs of chronic injuries include pain with exercise, possibly swelling — and even pain or discomfort at rest or during daily activities. Acute injuries, on the other hand, may include sudden, intense pain, severe swelling or bruising, and the inability to move normally or put weight on a body part. You may feel or notice a “pop” or sharp sting of pain during contact with another competitor or when planting or twisting with the lower extremity, adds Dr. Jagim.
“Some injuries just need time and immobilization to recover,” says Dr. Jagim. “For example, a bone fracture is frequently immobilized and casted to protect the bone and give it time to heal, without external stimuli or pressure disrupting the healing process.” Other injuries may need rest from the activity that caused the injury, but not necessarily immobilization. These injuries can often benefit from specific and gentle stretching and strengthening exercises. These exercises might benefit the injured area directly, but many times they help improve body structures that support and stabilize the injured area.
But for athletes, there is often more to the recovery process than just allowing the tissues to heal. For many people, it’s also about recovering their level of fitness, strength, endurance and kinesthetic awareness. Kinesthetic awareness is knowing where your limbs are in space and during movements, such as making sure your foot is level and prepared for landing during jumping activities. “Oftentimes following an injury, the injured limb has been immobilized and therefore likely will experience significant atrophy, or muscle loss, and weakness due to lack of muscular activity. It’s the ‘if you don’t use it you lose it’ kind of idea,” says Dr. Jagim.
As a result, athletes may need to work with a physical therapist to regain range of motion, joint stability, muscular ability and joint coordination to help them get back to their pre-injury athletic abilities. “After physical therapy, it’s a good idea to begin a transition plan to return to sports activities as well as a plan for modified strength and conditioning training,” Dr. Jagim says. “This plan will help build up strength gradually, so an athlete doesn’t do too much too soon and risk the chance of re-injury.”
What is the recovery time for a sports injury?
The road to recovery looks different for everyone and depends on the type and severity of the injury. Sometimes recovery from something like a simple fracture is more straightforward and easier to manage for athletes. A fracture can be immobilized in a cast and allowed to heal. Then the bone should be fully recovered and, after rehabilitation stops, ready for a return to play.
Chronic injuries or soft tissue injuries — such as a hamstring strain — might not seem as severe as a fracture, but they can sometimes be more challenging to bounce back from. These injuries take careful management of rehabilitation, strengthening and gradual return to activities. Unfortunately, a quick first step on a sprint at some point in your recovery is all it might take to re-aggravate the injury and set you back to square one.
Your healthcare team will help you determine the best treatment plan, a realistic timeline and attainable recovery goals for your situation. But before giving you the go-ahead to return to your sport, your healthcare team will likely want to see you with limited to no pain, a full range of motion, back to pre-injury strength levels, and able to comfortably and safely engage with your sport.
“It’s important to give the injury the time that it needs to fully heal, and you should probably err on the conservative side when it comes to recovery time,” says Dr. Jagim. “Otherwise the risk of lingering problems and re-injury is higher.”
To fully understand your recovery — and to set yourself up for successful healing — Dr. Jagim recommends asking your healthcare team the following questions:
- What can I do as I recover?
- What should I avoid?
- What is the timeline for recovery? What are the stages of physical therapy and rehabilitation?
- When can I start doing certain activities?
- What specific exercises can I do to reduce the risk of re-injury in the future?
How to bounce back more quickly after a sports injury
There are a number of strategies you can use to support your recovery.
It’s always a good idea to get plenty of rest to allow the tissue to heal. Your healthcare team may recommend ice or heat, compression, and elevation. In some situations, nonprescription medications may be appropriate to help manage pain and soothe swelling and inflammation.
As your injury heals, Dr. Jagim says it can be helpful to focus on general movement and light activity, as long as it doesn’t cause any problems in the area of injury. Staying active — within reason — can help you avoid the stiffness and loss of strength that can slow your recovery down. Your healthcare team will be able to recommend a specific treatment or physical therapy plan to rebuild your strength and motion as quickly as possible. Though it can sometimes be inconvenient to attend multiple appointments in a week or do your exercises at home every day, staying dedicated and conscientious about physical therapy can help you get back into your sport faster and more safely.
Additionally, it’s important not to underestimate the power of commonsense recovery practices. “During your healing, optimizing your nutritional intake, specifically with protein to help tissue healing, and sleeping as much as possible for at least 8 hours a night are probably the most important things to do when trying to speed up recovery time,” says Dr. Jagim. Meanwhile, Dr. Jagim recommends getting to bed early, avoiding anything that could aggravate your injury, and refraining from alcohol and smoking as all these activities can slow your recovery.
Finally, recovery isn’t just about getting back into shape or healing a physical injury. Your mental health also can be impacted by a sports injury — especially if your sport is connected to your sense of identity and self-esteem, your day-to-day routine and your social relationships. “Try staying involved with team activities if you can or you can find a replacement hobby to stay engaged and keep your mind occupied,” says Dr. Jagim. You may also consider seeking the support of a mental health counselor as well. They may be able to help with the mental side of recovery, especially as you regain confidence when returning to competition, so you don’t have a lingering fear of getting injured again.
Relevant reading
Mayo Clinic Diet and Cook Smart, Eat Well Bundle
This revised edition of the #1 New York Times bestselling book offers a simple, time-tested, no-nonsense approach to losing weight and keeping it off. The Mayo Clinic Diet by Donald D. Hensrud, M.D., isn’t a fad diet – it’s an approach that draws on years of research from thousands of individuals seeking…
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/GettyImages-1175113277-eca43b55f1b74dd3815acb53da96cf1f.jpg "10 Top Muscle Recovery Foods and Drinks")