What is Accelerated Rehabilitation? 

Football is the most commonly played sport across the entire world. From Grassroots to Professional Level almost all players sustain some kind of injury during their participation. Having worked at an Elite level for both Injury prevention & Injury management with Footballers, this series of three blogs will share some of my insights.

Due to the value of football players, It's common to see a whole team of medical professionals working around the clock to ensure that a player is available for selection. This first part of the series will look at the difference between conventional physiotherapy and how it works in an elite environment. 

Assessment 

As soon as player gets injured during training or during a game, assessment begins immediately. From my perspective this is a crucial part of the outcome. Correct, early diagnosis has been proven to lead to earlier recovery. It doesn't stop pitch-side, it's common for players to get X-rays, MRI Scans or special opinions on the same day they get injured. 

Volume 

Once a diagnosis has been obtained. Players are exposed to a high volume of treatment. This can vary in type depending on the nature of the injury. However the volume is always high. It's not uncommon for an Injured player to do 5-6 hours worth of rehabilitation 6 days per week whilst injured. Again, a high volume of focused interventions is proven to lead to an earlier recovery. 

Long-Term Management 

Long after a player has returned to fitness, they continue to have interventions specifically for that injury. This is due to the exceedingly high re-occurrence rate of injuries in professional athletes. This can be an exercise program or a routine sports massage. Just because the player is available for selection, doesn't mean the medical team take the foot of the gas. A good physio gets you better, a great physio keeps you there. 

Final points...

Now, its important to note here, that most of us can't find the time or the finances to achieve this level of care. However, If you're looking a quick recovery from a sporting injury, here at Physio Form we can apply some of these principles and tailor a program to suit you.

• Acute Injury Triage (£20 - 20 minutes)  - Assessment - Get assessed early return to sport quicker 
• Physiotherapy Treatment (£40 - 30 minutes) -  Volume - One or two sessions per week is all it takes to achieve accelerated rehabilitation 
• Sports Massage (£30- 30 minutes) - Long-term management - One or two sessions per month could reduce the chances of injury re-occurrence 

Next Month, we'll look at the common treatment techniques that are used to treat football injuries.