After a sports injury, it can be difficult getting back into the swing of things. Your body isn’t like what it was before and your confidence levels are probably quite low. The prospect of building up your stamina and performance to get you back to where you were before on the basketball court can be pretty daunting. At this stage, it is important to take the right steps to ensure you don’t exacerbate your situation. Here are a few top tips to help you return to the court after an injury.
1. Don’t Push Yourself Too Hard
Although it might be tempting to jump straight into playing basketball again, you don’t want to make your injury worse by pushing yourself too hard. Although ‘pushing through the pain’ might be something you tell yourself to do during a regular workout, it isn’t a good idea if you have actually injured yourself seriously as it can worsen your injury or cause other problems to occur. After an injury, it is important to listen to your body and give yourself time to heal properly.
2. Speak to a Professional
After a serious injury, it is essential to speak to a professional before playing any sports again. Check in with your doctor or a physical therapist to ensure your body is ready to exert itself again. In addition, physical therapists can help develop a rehabilitation program to ensure you get back to playing basketball with minimal risks. They can also correct any form and posture problems, and help ensure you perform exercises properly.
3. Body Supports
Besides coming up with an efficient plan to get you back in shape, professionals can also give you advice about body support accessories that can help reduce injury-related pain. For example, tennis players or basketball players who exert more pressure on the elbow joint are more prone to pain in this area of their body. To address the pain, Elbow Supports are an efficient solution. An elbow support can be worn during tennis to help make the pain more manageable, and can even be worn at other points of the day if pain is felt.
4. Always Begin With a Warm Up
Whether you have experienced an injury or not, it is always a good idea to begin a sport session with a warm up. Warming up helps to get your muscles and joints moving before you place more pressure on them during a basketball session. It will also help raise your heart rate gradually and get your blood pumping. Begin with low intensity movements and light stretches to improve your range of motion, and pay particular attention to the area of the body that has been injured.
5. Create Achievable Goals
Although getting back into it can feel frustrating at the beginning, setting achievable goals can help make your rehabilitation journey more bearable. Creating small objectives, such as working out certain body parts at certain points throughout the week, can help you achieve larger fitness goals in the long run.