What is rehabilitation?
What is Sport Rehabilitation?
What are the 5 stages of rehabilitation?
Rehabilitation programs for two different sports injuries
Conclusion
Bibliography
,Introduction
In this assignment, I will describe what the term rehabilitation and discuss its relevance to sport. I
will go on to describe the five stages of rehabilitation in sports and will explain what needs to
happen during each of these stages. After this, I will select two athletes from two different sports,
create a client background and give them two common injuries to recover from. I will explain how I
would assess the player to identify the nature of their injury. After this, I will describe the
rehabilitation for the different players through the five different stages. I will make sure to outline
goals and targets for the clients throughout their rehabilitation program. I will also explain the
activities that the players will be doing in each of the five stages. I will complete this all without
the assistance of my tutor. Finally, I will justify my recommendations using research and references
to back up my recommendations.
What is rehabilitation?
“Rehabilitation is a step-by-step process that helps people to recover. The goal of rehabilitation is
to help people function as effectively as possible after a life-changing event.”
(carergateway.2019)
What is Sport Rehabilitation?
“Sport Rehabilitators help people suffering from pain, injury or illness involving the musculoskeletal
system. They help people of all ages to maintain their health and fitness, recover from and prevent
injury and reduce pain using exercise, movement and manual based therapeutic interventions.”
(basrat.2019)
What are the 5 stages of rehabilitation?
STAGE 1 – Reduction of pain and swelling
The first phase of rehabilitation focuses on the reduction of pain and swelling in the injured area.
The rehabilitator may use either exercise, physical therapy, manual therapy or a combination of
these methods. During this phase, rest and the application of ice are also essential. The use of
these different therapeutic techniques represents a valid and effective addition to more traditional
treatment methods such as the use of drugs. Furthermore, these techniques play a key role in
facilitating further work of the care team.
STAGE 2 – Re – establishing functional activity – restoration of joint mobility and range of
motion
, The goal for the second phase of rehabilitation is to restore the full range of motion to a joint, or
to restore a specific movement without causing sensations of pain.
During this phase, the rehabilitator will use various techniques, including joint mobilisation and
muscle stretching. Work to achieve joint mobility should be started as soon as possible in order to
obtain a complete recovery. This phase is fundamentally down to the experience and skill of the
rehabilitator – taking an overly aggressive approach could actually increase inflammation, hindering
recovery, while excessively cautious tactics can cause stiffness in joint articulation.
STAGE 3 – Recovery of muscle strength and endurance
The third phase’s objective is to restore muscle strength and help re-build endurance. The
rehabilitator will gradually build up muscle strength through load progression to avoid any potential
overloading issues. From the outset, this stage focusses heavily on endurance and aerobic capacity.
The importance of quantitative measurement is prevalent here as progress is measured through
isokinetic tests and functional assessments.
STAGE 4 – Recovery of co-ordination and ongoing treatment
The purpose of this phase is the recovery of co – ordination. Each lesion in the musculo-skeletal
frame causes alterations to the body’s proprioceptive mechanisms, i.e. the mechanisms that allow
us to sense the spatial positioning of positioning of our limbs. This proprioceptive rehabilitation
framework is not based on time, quality or quantity of training, but is instead down to the skill and
experience of the rehabilitator. It is important during this phase for the rehabilitator to adapt the
training to the individual and their specific pathology and goals.
STAGE 5 – Recovery of sport-specific technical movements
The fifth and final phase of rehabilitation is the retrieval of complex movements specific to the
patient’s sport or activity. This part of recovery often takes place on the field.
Again, this phase does not follow a stringent routine, but instead is adjusted from day-to-day by
the rehabilitator in relation to the individual’s unique responses to training.