Exercise & Strengthening

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 Rehabilitation program is recommended not only for post-operative healing but also on the injuries that happen accidentally where Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation (RICE), pain relievers and other conservative treatments does not help. Exercising will help to control the pain and provide relief. Physiotherapists will guide and supervise you throughout your healing process.

The common muscles damaged during sports injuries include hamstring and quadriceps muscles of the thigh, calf and knee muscle, and flexor muscles of the joints. Lost strength and flexibility of these muscles by injury may be regained by performing appropriate exercises.

Various exercises recommended for injured patients for different types of sports injuries that should be performed regularly include:

• Flexion/extension exercises help to improve the movement of the knee and maintain strength of the hamstring muscle. It also decrease swelling around the injured site.
• Stretching exercises helps to increase the flexibility of the soft tissue around the joints. Stretching calf muscles also increases the flexibility of hamstring muscle in the hip.
• Static quadriceps contractions prevent the degeneration and weakening of quadriceps muscles. Weight bearing may not be allowed during this exercise.
• Straight leg, calf, hip raises: Lifting the entire weight of your leg, calf, or hip muscles against the resistance of floor improves the functions of knee quadriceps and hip flexor muscles.
• Leg curl is done using a band or weight machine to bend the leg. This helps to creates resistance against the pain. It is done to treat pain of hamstring muscle.
• Squatting exercise works on strengthening quadriceps muscle of hip.
• Proprioceptive exercises are done by walking on an uneven surface. This exercise works on injuries that fail to balance.
• Heel slides are performed on the quadriceps and hamstring muscles of the thigh. It helps in the movement of hip joint by decreasing the resistance between the foot and floor.