Dr Vimal Sharma has been playing an active role in the arena of Sports Physiotherapy. As a senior Physiotherapist holding immense experience of over two decades, he understands the specific needs of his patients. Amongst several genres, tackling Sports injuries, is also his forte.

In conversation with Sharmila Chand, Dr Sharma talks about the role of Physiotherapy in Sports Injury.

Let us first understand what is Sports Physiotherapy?

Sports physiotherapy is a specialized branch of physiotherapy that focuses on the prevention, assessment, treatment, and rehabilitation of sports and exercise-related injuries.

While general physiotherapy addresses a wide range of problems and issues, Sports Physiotherapy specifically is meant for athletes and sports enthusiasts.

Role of Sports Physiotherapist

The essential role of the sports physiotherapist is to provide treatment and rehabilitation of injuries and also to provide support for performance through injury prevention, maintenance and recovery interventions.

Sports Physiotherapists are armed with specialized knowledge and skills to manage sports injuries, optimize athletic performance, and implement injury prevention strategies. They are adept at understanding and determining the physical demands of various sports thereby chalking out a treatment program tailoring to meet the specific requirements of athletes, from amateurs to professionals.

What is Sports Injury? 

A sports injury is any injury that occurs during sports or exercise, from tendonitis to complete sprains and fractures.

Common Types Of Sports Injuries 

• Muscle Strains – These may occur when muscles tear or strain, could be from excessive use.
• Tendonitis – This condition affects the tendons that connect muscles to bones; it can also cause pain in joints surrounding the affected area.
• Bursitis – Bursae are small sacks of fluid located under the skin near bones where tendons attach to the bone. Bursae often get inflamed due to repetitive motions, such as running on hard surfaces.
• Shin Splints – it is a painful condition that affects lower leg muscles and tendons along their connection points at either side of tibia bone (the shin bone). The most common cause is rapid downhill running or  jumping rope too vigorously.

  The Role Of The  Sports Physiotherapist 

A sports physiotherapist plays a crucial role in curing Sports Injuries in the following manner:

# Assess the injury and determine the next line of action. It could be a series of rehab program or maybe a surgery is required.

# Treat the injury till it is fully cured  

# The physiotherapist also sets specific guidelines to follow to help you avoid having a recurrence of the injury.

# Chalk out a rehabilitation programme so that the injury gets fully cured to get back into action without having pain or problems.

Tips to Tackle Sports Injuries

1. Warm-Up and Cool-Down

Always start with a proper warm-up to prepare your muscles and joints for activity.

Cooling down with light stretching helps prevent stiffness and aids recovery.

2. Use Correct Techniques and Form

Incorrect posture or technique increases the risk of injury.

Seek guidance from a physiotherapist to refine your form.

3. Strengthen and Condition Muscles

 strength training and conditioning exercises to build muscle stability and joint support.

Focus on core stability

4. Listen to Your Body

Don’t ignore pain—it’s a warning sign.

Rest and seek physiotherapy treatment if you experience discomfort during or after exercise.

5. Stay Hydrated and Maintain Nutrition

Proper hydration prevents muscle cramps and fatigue.

6. Use Protective Gear and Support. Taping or bracing vulnerable joints if prone to injuries.

7. Focus on Flexibility and Mobility

8. Gradual Progression

Increase training intensity gradually to prevent overuse injuries. Sudden spikes in activity can lead to muscle tears and stress fractures.

9. RICE Protocol for Acute Injuries

10. Seek Professional Physiotherapy Care

For persistent or severe injuries, consult a physiotherapist for a tailored rehabilitation program.

11. Sports massage or deep tissue release every fortnightly to maintain the muscle flexibility and reducing chances of injuries because of tightness.

Tip: physiotherapy assessments can identify biomechanical imbalances, helping prevent recurring sports injuries.

…….

Frequently asked questions : 

• Why should I visit a Sports Physiotherapist? 

If you have any pain or problem due to sports injury or exercise, you need to visit a Sports

physiotherapist who will provide treatment and rehabilitation of injury.  You will also get guidance for restoring  optimal function through injury prevention, maintenance and recovery intervention program.

• How many times I need to visit the Physiotherapist?

Based on the assessment of the problem or injury, the physiotherapist  designs personalized exercise programs tailored to specific athlete’s needs/ problem. These programs  include specific exercises and techniques aimed at enhancing flexibility, strength, and stability in order to get back to normal function and sports specific fitness level.      

Sharmila Chand is an Author, Journalist and Columnist. She can be reached at chand.sharmila@gmail.com

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Cupping is an alternative therapy for management of pain and other musculoskeletal issues and is widely used in sports.

In cupping, special cups of different sizes are placed on the skin and using a pump, the suction is created as tolerated by the patient.

This suction facilitates the process of healing by increasing the blood flow.

Conditions treated by Cupping Therapy include:

• Back and Neck Pain
• Knee arthritis
• Hamstrings and Calf Strain
• Migraines

We, here at Dr. Vimal’s Physiotherapy and Sports Injury Clinic, are trained for Cupping Therapy for various musculoskeletal issues.

For further queries, book an appointment at 011-40363459, +918860075117

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Dry Needling or Myofascial trigger point needling is a treatment performed by a skilled and trained physical therapist to ease muscular pain and stiffness.

In this treatment, a sterile, single use fine filament needle is inserted into the muscle to release the tight tissues (trigger points) for management of musculoskeletal pain.

Dry Needling is totally different from Acupuncture. Acupuncture is based on Eastern Medicine, where the acupuncturist works on the energy points called as Meridians, whereas the Dry Needling is a western science and works on the trigger points.

What is a trigger point?

A trigger point is local tight band of a muscle fibre that can cause local pain, stiffness, restrict the range of motion. So, when a dry needle is inserted in that trigger point, it releases that tight band and increases the blood flow in the area, thus reducing local pain and stiffness.

Indications

Dry Needling is used to treat variety of musculoskeletal problems, Such as:

• Low Back Ache
• Neck Pain
• Shoulder Pain
• Heel and Hip Pain
• Thigh and Calf Strain

It is a safe and effective pain management technique.

We, here at Dr. Vimal’s Physiotherapy and Sports Injury Clinic are trained and certified to perform an effective dry needling treatment of many musculoskeletal issues.

For further queries, book an appointment at 011-40363459, +918860075117

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Tennis elbow is an inflammation of the tendons that join the forearm muscles on the outside of the elbow. The forearm muscles and tendons become damaged from overuse and repeating the same motions again and again. This leads to pain and tenderness on the outside of the elbow.

The Causes of Tennis Elbow

Tennis elbow usually develops over time.

Repetitive motions like gripping a racket during a swing can strain the muscles and put too much stress on the tendons. That constant tugging can eventually cause microscopic tears in the tissue.

Tennis elbow might result from:

• Tennis
• Racquetball
• Squash
• Weight lifting

It can also affect people with jobs or hobbies that require repetitive arm movements or gripping such as:

• Carpentry
• Typing
• Painting
• Knitting
• Dentist

Symptoms of Tennis Elbow

The symptoms of tennis elbow include pain and tenderness in the bony area on the outside of your elbow. The pain may also radiate into the upper or lower arm. Although the damage is in the elbow, you’re likely to hurt when doing things with your hands.

Tennis elbow may cause the severe pain when you:

• Lift something
• Make a fist or grip an object, such as a tennis racket
• Open a door or shake hands
• Raise your hand or straighten your wrist

Treatment for Tennis Elbow

Usually tennis elbow will heal on its own. You just need to give your elbow a break and do what you can to speed the healing. Types of treatment that help are:

• Icing the elbow to reduce pain and swelling. 20 to 30 minutes every 3 to 4 hours for 2 to 3 days or until the pain is gone.
• Using an elbow strap to protect the injured tendon from further strain.
• Taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAIDs), You should only use them occasionally, unless your doctor says.
• Performing range of motion exercises to reduce stiffness and increase flexibility.
• Physical therapy to strengthen and stretch the muscles.
• Cortisone/PRP injections

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OMT is a hand-on method of practicing medicine that uses highly skilled hands of an Osteopathic Therapist.

Osteopathy includes palpation with hands to diagnose and treat musculoskeletal irregularities that causes inflammation and pain.

Through variety of techniques like stretching, soft tissue release and manipulation, OMT restores proper function to bones and joints and increases blood flow to muscles and tissues.

Dr. Vimal is a certified osteopathy and manipulative therapist under the guidance of Dr. Gian Pietro Mainardi, an Osteopath from Italy, who cares for his patients through primary practice of OMT.

As a pain management specialist, we focus to bring prompt relief to patient who suffers from chronic low back ache, knee, shoulders and ankle pain.

We at Dr. Vimal’s Physiotherapy and Sports Injury Clinic take time to really listen to our patient’s problems, building a relationship that is focused on healing the underlying causes of your pain restoring you to optimal health.

For appointment and consultation, Call- 01140363459, +918860075117

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Soft tissue release or myofascial release is a technique to increase the mobility of the muscle and reduce pain by relaxing the tight muscles.

It improves the blood circulation and lymphatic circulation Myofascial release uses sustained pressure to break up the adhesions in combination with active stretching of that area to lengthen the soft tissue.

This technique is used to treat

Pain- arising from fascia like planter fasciitis

Major muscle groups-strain or muscle pulls from overuse in sports like hamstring and calves ,back and neck muscles or a locked back and neck.

Tendon and ligaments- tight tendons following an injury that causes pain and decreased range of movement can be treated with this technique

Conditions treated with soft tissue release or myofascial releases are:

1. Chronic low back pain
2. Chronic neck pain
3. Tension headaches
4. Shoulder pain caused by frozen shoulder or rotator cuff tendinitis
5. Shin splints
6. Planter fasciitis
7. Tennis elbow
8. Carpal tunnel syndrome

We at Dr Vimal’s Physiotherapy and Sports Injury Clinic specialize in fascial manipulation technique. We are a certified fascial manipulation therapist trained under Kobi Weiss from Italy.

For appointment and consultation, Call – 01140363459, +918860075117

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