Injured this summer? Perhaps physical therapy can help

Physical trainer Julius Rivera, works with a patient on strength training for sports injuries. Photo by Caroline Hall.

A jogger running along the bike path through the Sebastiani Vineyards. Photo by Caroline Hall.

Summer is the time for fun – and between swimming, biking, hiking, running, basketball, rollerblading, baseball, soccer and chasing the dog, it’s also the time for physical injuries. While some injuries, like a pulled muscle, usually heal themselves fairly quickly, other injuries, such as connective tissue damage in knees, shoulders or feet, dislocations, back and hip strain and even broken bones are common this time of year. For those who do not exercise regularly and are out of shape, the lure of sunny and warm days and long evenings often leads to over-exertion, strain or even broken bones. The use of alcohol simply increases the risk of falling or loss of judgment about what is a safe or unsafe activity.
Daily exercise is recognized as an important component of maintaining proper health, and simple activities such as walking can make a significant contribution to a sense of well-being and physical health. Yet even walking can produce physical injury through stressful repetitive movements of impaired joints, improper footwear or tripping and falling (which often results in hand, elbow or shoulder injuries). Add jogging or quickly chasing a ball up and down a field, and one increases the risk of injury considerably.

As women and girls have increasingly become involved in competitive team sports, so have their statistical rates of injury increased dramatically. Some research indicates that lower level of muscle mass in women and girls, as compared to that type of men and boys, might play a role in the increase of injury, as muscle serves to help stabilize joints and bones. Reasons aside, the reality is that physical injury requiring rehabilitation can happen to anyone of either sex.

Injuries requiring surgery or restraints on movement, such as casts, splints or braces, almost always require a period of physical recuperation and therapy. Less severe injuries, however, can also benefit from physical therapy, which plays a role in helping to regain flexibility, movement, strength and confidence. Certain body joints, like knees, are particularly vulnerable to repetitive injury, and while physical therapy can help one recover movement and relieve pain, an evaluation and understanding of the types of activities that place knee joints at risk is important. Physical therapists help their clients set appropriate goals for recovery, understand their musculoskeletal system, learn how injury occurs, supervise and apply therapy and teach clients about what can be done to avoid a repeat or new injury in the future.
There is widespread agreement that any vigorous exercise should be preceded by simple stretching and warming-up exercises, which help the body prepare itself for the stresses that greater levels of exercise incur. Even these should be done carefully, however, because even stretching itself can cause injury. Moreover, it is important to stretch after vigorous activities as well, such as running, to prevent muscle tightening.

Here in Sonoma Valley, there are a number of physical therapy resources that are available for those who have been injured. At the Sonoma Valley Hospital, Mark Sipes runs the Occupational Health and Rehabilitation Department and Valley Physical Therapy (707.935.5469), which provides a comprehensive supervised physical therapy program treating sports, hand, and occupational injuries. Utilizing specialized mechanical and electrical equipment, massage, various heat and cold treatments, directed movements and other methods, clients are evaluated and placed on a regularly scheduled regimen of treatment. The length of treatment typically varies and depends upon the severity and nature of the injury. While a complete recovery of movement or loss of pain is always desirable, the ultimate outcome of physical therapy depends upon the severity of the original injury and the willingness of the client to adhere to an ongoing exercise and treatment program.

In addition to the services provided at the hospital, other private physical therapy offices are in the area, including Caliente Springs Physical Therapy (707.935.3230). Another source: Shoulder surgeon Melbourne.

With a doctor’s prescription, many insurance companies will make reimbursements or payments for courses of physical therapy, though it is always best to check with your insurance carrier to confirm how many treatments they will authorize for payment.