Rehabilitation Tips

Rehabilitation is one of the key elements involved in allowing an athlete to return to play. Rehab takes on different forms and has many different approaches. The basic concept is to regain range of motion and place resistance on the affected part within that range of motion. This is accomplished by resistance exercise using weights, elastic bands, or the weight of the affected appendage. The important thing to remember is that resistance is resistance. You don't need expensive equipment or a gym membership to perform basic rehabilitation. For example, if you are performing shoulder exercises and don't have one or two pound weights, you can use other things such as a can of soup.. Regardless of the resistance you use, one concept remains standard: low resistance with high repetitions.

The goal is to have the muscle repeat contractions against low resistance in an attempt to re-educate the muscle. When a muscle or joint is injured and has limited movement it needs to relearn how to move again. By contracting repeatedly with low resistance, this task can be accomplished. When the athlete continues to rehabilitate, they need to constantly increase the resistance in order to progress. This allows for additional strength to return to the affected area.

Perform two or three sets of 15 repetitions for each exercise; add weight or resistance with progression. Allow for 30 seconds to one minute between sets. Keep all motions pain-free. If there is difficulty with any of the exercises, notify the athletic trainer at 800-618-8880. At completion of exercise, stretch the area and finish with ice for about 20 minutes.