In sports, rehab is vital to anyone with an injury. But being injury-free really starts with “prehab” — preventative exercises and other measures athletes undertake before playing season begins.

For athletes at all levels, a six-week program of working two or three days a week with sports-specific training (kicking and leg work for soccer, jumping for basketball, etc.), including plyometric exercises, is recommended. Plyometrics are movements such as jumping on platforms, medicine ball workouts, and ladder drills (running or side-stepping through a ladder placed on the ground) that stretch and contract muscles intensively. These types of exercises prepare connective tissues and nerves for the stress endured in athletics.

Prehab and plyometrics has come about, in part, because of the ever-rising number of ACL injuries. ACL stands for anterior cruciate ligament, which is located in the center of the knee and controls the movement and rotation of the lower leg. And an ACL injury can take a player out for months.

The greatest increase in ACL injuries is among female athletes. Females often lack the strength necessary to adequately control the position of their knees when landing from a jump or moving from side to side. Exercises that help balance the ratio of strength between quadriceps and hamstring as well as strengthening exercises focusing on the hip muscles are recommended.

Skipping prehab can mean rehab. It’s a fact that the trained athlete has less incidence of injury than the untrained or poorly conditioned athlete. The same is true for the weekend warrior—those who go straight from the couch to the playing field with little to no preparation.

If an injury does occur, make sure you work as hard on finding the best physical therapist (PT) in your area as you would the best doctor. The PT rehab component is just as important. Look for ones who are used to treating athletes. Trust — and follow — their advice.       

Fact or Myth?

A sprain takes longer to heal than a fracture.
Almost every fracture takes four to eight weeks to heal. Most minor sprains taking about two weeks. The exception is the high ankle sprain. It can take months to fully heal (and is responsible for giving less problematic sprains a bad name).