Sports injuries happen all the time. But instead of shrugging them off, or trying to play through the pain, it’s important to treat them so that your body can perform at 100%. Repetitive strains won’t help you in the future. If you suffer from a sports injury, your physician will perform a thorough exam and then work with you to create a comprehensive treatment plan. Here are three common types of therapies that are used to treat sports injuries.

Massage therapy

Massage therapy gets right in and works to stimulate the muscles. Blood flow is incredibly important and massage therapy, especially deep tissue massage, works to bring the muscle back to top performance. All of your body is connected and if a specific muscle is under strain then the rest of the body will overcompensate for it. This can actually lead to more injuries.

Massage therapy for sports injuries is different than the type of massage you will receive at a spa. While a spa will be a bit lighter and works to relax you, massage therapy for sports injuries is a form of physical treatment. It will get a little bit deeper and a course of treatments will most often be prescribed.

Laser Therapy

Laser therapy is a great, innovative treatment option. It requires no cutting and is virtually painless. Infrared light is used to target the affected muscles. This light is then able to stimulate blood flow to the area. Laser therapy has really come into its own in the last few years and is becoming an increasingly used form of therapy.

Laser therapy may seem invasive, but it is quite the opposite. It is painless and effective and definitely a worthy option. This technology works to stimulate the mitochondria in cells and in turn heal them. Laser therapy works on a molecular level and it can be hard to see what is really happening. But even after just a few sessions, you will start to see an improvement.

Physiotherapy

As for physiotherapy, this form of treatment can really help sports injuries. Often, rehabilitation from sports injuries requires a series of exercises. Your physiotherapist will help you with these exercises during a treatment session, but then you will have to perform them on your own to really re-build your muscles.

Other parts of physiotherapy can include massage and hot and cold treatments. Instead of invasive surgeries that have very long recovery times, physiotherapy can create improvements and have you quickly back on your feet. The number of sessions needed will be entirely based on your sports injury. Often sessions will start out weekly and then will become less frequent as your body starts to heal itself.