Rehabilitation in sport: factors to consider

For many people who do sports, injuries can be more common than we would like. It is important to take good care of yourself to stay in shape and not forget any aspect, starting with your diet and ending with adequate rest. If you are an athlete and have suffered or are suffering from an injury, this article is of interest to you. We tell you how to approach rehabilitation in sport in a natural way.

What is rehabilitation in sport?

Rehabilitation in sports is a multi-faceted discipline. For a professional athlete, for example, an injury involves physiotherapists, trainers, chiropractors, and massage therapists. For a person who trains to maintain their physical well-being, injuries can also be a headache. Sometimes we can’t find the key to recovering from an injury, so knowing the different types of sports rehabilitation techniques will be of great help. In addition, nutrition, rest, and healthy lifestyle habits should not be forgotten.

Rehabilitation techniques in sport

When it comes to treating an injury, sports rehabilitation employs different techniques. These are some of them:

• Sports physiotherapy: This is probably the first of the rehabilitation techniques in sport. It is used to both prevent and treat injuries. The physiotherapist works to identify and detect injuries, as well as to study the biomechanics of each patient to develop a stretching and strengthening exercises that the athlete will integrate into their routines.
• Electrotherapy: this technique consists of producing electrical stimulation of both nerve endings and muscle fibers. There are different types of rehabilitation in sports based on electrotherapy. Examples are transcutaneous peripheral nerve stimulation, shock waves, or electroacupuncture.
• Lymphatic drainage: consists of massages that follow the course of the network of lymph vessels that make up the lymphatic system and through which the lymph circulates. This massage, which activates the lymphatic circulation, aims to stimulate circulatory and depurative activity, which improves the function of the immune system.
• Cryotherapy: this involves exposing different parts of the body to very low temperatures to induce vasoconstriction followed by reactive vasodilation. This process promotes blood supply. As with ozone therapy, it activates antioxidant defenses.
• Magnet therapy: This is a physiotherapy technique that uses magnetic fields to restore cellular biochemical balance. The therapy is applied with two magnets, which are placed over the areas of the body to be treated, to create a low-frequency magnetic field. This magnetic field generates biochemical changes in the cells that are responsible for tissue regeneration.
• Sports supplementation: for muscle strengthening and endurance, acting as an anti-inflammatory and ergogenic aid – that is, as a means to improve performance. Many supplements, such as those formulated with organic silica, stand out for their ability to accelerate sports recovery processes, as they help regenerate tissues.

Factors involved in sports rehabilitation

Although sports injury is a physical condition, we cannot forget the fundamental role of psychological factors that could delay the recovery process. Taking care of the psychological aspect during a rehabilitation process in sport is fundamental, especially in those sports where there is a lot of pressure.

Although we may be in a hurry to get back to training, mental and emotional health also takes time. It is an evolutionary process that influences the healing of athletes after injury. This is why sometimes specific techniques and skills need to be put into practice. For example:

• Visualisation: this involves using the imagination to mentally rehearse or repeat situations.
• Positive internal dialogue: this is used to counteract the low confidence of the athlete in a sports rehabilitation process. The idea is to turn negative thoughts into positive ones.
• Relaxation: if we stay relaxed, rehabilitation will be completed sooner. This technique works very well in combination with other pain and stress relief techniques.

In addition, it is very important to keep in mind that social support and the closeness of loved ones is also key factor in the healing of a sports injury.

A key factor: nutrition

Another fundamental factor is nutrition. Diet is essential to feel good and, in a sports rehabilitation process, it can speed up recovery. To improve the regeneration process of muscle fibers, tendons, ligaments, nerves, and bones, we must not forget to introduce the following nutrients into our diet:

• Protein: an adequate intake of proteins of high biological value helps us to maintain muscle mass. Protein can be found in meat and dairy products, for example. For vegetarian or vegan diets, protein sources come from soya, seeds, legumes such as lentils, seitan, etc.
• Creatine: during the resting phase, it helps to reduce the biochemical and structural degradation of the muscles. Creatine is abundant in meat and fish.
• Omega 3: has an anti-inflammatory effect; it is found in salmon and other oily fish.
• Vitamin D: helps to fix calcium in the bones and is involved in the synthesis of muscle proteins. We obtain it from oily fish, egg yolks, and cheeses.
• Vitamin C: contributes to the synthesis of collagen and therefore accelerates the regeneration of damaged tissues. It is present in citrus fruits, red pepper, tomatoes, and strawberries.
• Group B vitamins: they help to assimilate proteins due to their catalytic function, i.e. they accelerate biochemical reactions. They are present in meats, whole grains, eggs, dairy products…
• Magnesium: this is an essential micronutrient for the body. It is a natural vasodilator, which improves oxygenation and the entry of nutrients into the muscle. It is found in some nuts, such as almonds and cashews; in bananas, avocados, and milk, among many others.

Supplements for sports rehabilitation

In addition, to make sure we get the vitamins and minerals we need, we can opt for supplements. In the world of sports supplementation, we can find different types of supplements: proteins, creatine, multivitamins, fat burners such as caffeine, etc. It is a question of choosing the right supplement according to the results you want to achieve and also according to the stage or phase you are in. For example, there are pre-workout, post-workout, and recovery supplements.

In sports rehabilitation, supplements play an important role. Thanks to the catalytic function of minerals such as silica, biochemical reactions in the body are accelerated and the tissue recovery process is accelerated.

Supplements that provide collagen or help to generate collagen are of particular interest. Collagen is essential for the recovery of injured tissues.

Here are some examples:

• Orgono Sports Recovery is especially indicated for sports recovery. It is formulated with organic silica and can be taken three times a day (30 ml per dose), with meals, for intensive treatment.

• Orgono Articomplex, in capsules. This is a multimineral complex that compensates for the loss of essential minerals. It includes, in addition to organic silica, magnesium, and vitamin C, whose benefits we already know.

As you can see, there are several factors to take into account when it comes to completing rehabilitation in sport. For this reason, in addition to physiotherapy techniques, it is not a bad idea to incorporate supplements into the diet to help complete the process more quickly while remaining natural.