by Angus Lally, Physiotherapist (Leeming & Palmyra)
It’s that time of year. The weather is slowly getting warmer, finals pressure is hotting up, and suddenly everyone who has been managing an injury for the past few months is praying that it will somehow hold together.
“I’ll just get through finals.”
We’ve all heard it and, let’s be honest, many of us have said it. But rather than trying to push through on determination alone, now is the time to act.
The Problem With Pushing Through
A niggling hamstring, sore knee, stiff ankle or troublesome shoulder might have been manageable during the regular season.
But when training intensity increases, recovery time decreases and games become more physically demanding, these small issues can quickly become bigger ones. And the last thing you want is to spend grand final week on the sidelines.
How to Manage An Injury During Finals
1. Don’t ignore the warning signs
Pain that is getting progressively worse, slowing you down, stopping you from training or lingering longer after games shouldn’t simply be written off.
You may not necessarily need to stop playing, but you may need to change how you’re training and recovering, or seek treatment.
2. Manage your training load
More isn’t always better. If you’re already playing on the weekend, adding extra running, conditioning or gym sessions can push your total workload beyond what your body can handle.
Your physio can help work out what to keep doing, what you can modify, and what you can temporarily take out.
The goal isn’t necessarily complete rest, but to find the right amount of load to maintain fitness while allowing an injury to settle.
3. Don’t leave rehab until the off-season
One of the biggest mistakes we see is waiting until the season finishes to properly address an injury. A good rehab program can often be incorporated around your training and games, rather than requiring you to completely stop playing.
4. Keep your strength up
When you’re injured, it’s easy to stop doing anything that causes discomfort. The problem with this is you stop training everything else too. Targeted strength work keeps the rest of your body moving and is an important part of any rehab program.
Again, your physio is qualified to help you work out what, how much and when to incorporate strength work during your finals campaign.
5. Have a plan for game day
If you’re carrying an injury into finals, it’s worth considering:
- How much game-time can you realistically play?
- Do you need a modified warm-up?
- Will ice/heat/anti-inflammatories help?
- What should you do immediately after the game?
- How will you manage the next training session?
- When should you stop?
Having a plan before the game can give you the confidence to go out and give it your all.
Get professional help
Don’t wait for the grand final. If you’re carrying an injury, the best time to jump onto and it get professional advice is now.
A few weeks of well-planned rehabilitation now could be the difference between ‘just getting through’ and helping your team lift the cup. Or worse watching them do it from the sidelines.
Book in with one of our physios and let’s make a plan. You can catch me in Leeming on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and Palmyra on Tuesday and Thursday.
