At Flux Sports Therapy we assess, treat and advise on a wide range of musculoskeletal pains and injuries; and not just sports related. In fact some of the most common issues we help people with are neck pain and back pain, which are often more related to the general demands and habits of daily life, work, sitting, driving, posture, stress, trauma etc. We often find that even people coming in with sports related injuries tend to have some root cause links to those areas.
Injuries and pain can generally be split in to two categories – Chronic (long-term and/or gradual onset) and Acute (short-term and/or sudden onset).
Generally a result of multiple factors such as overuse, overtraining, ignoring painful symptoms, old injuries, lack of physical self-care (warm-ups, cool-downs, mobility, stretching, rolling, massage), existing physical issues (tightness, weakness, instability, asymmetry), work (very sedentary or physically demanding), lifestyle (sleep, nutrition, hydration), stress/trauma (physical and mental).
Even when people may feel they experience a sudden unexpected pain from a seemingly innocuous movement or activity it’s often more a ‘straw that broke the camel’s back‘ scenario linked to accumulative effects of the reasons above. This is where a through consultation and assessment are vitally important for identifying these deeper root causes to be able to provide you with the education/guidance needed to recognise and address them.
Another common chronic injury is Tendinosis (tendon degeneration) which you can find more detail on further down this page.
Recovery times for chronic injuries vary greatly because there are so many factors to take in to account and it relies greatly on the individual’s commitment to making the required adaptations to lifestyle, habits, movement and exercise. There are no magic fixes to long-term pain and any person or product that says otherwise is likely just after your money; it is all about patient education, guidance and a commitment to making gradual positive change.
Generally a result of an immediate impact, explosive movement, over-stretch, twist, turn or fall which usually occur in sporting scenarios or demanding physical activities. These are often accompanied with immediate pain, swelling, bruising or loss of movement. Acute injuries are most commonly sprains or strains; a sprain being injury to a ligament and a strain being injury to a muscle or tendon.
Another common acute injury is Tendinitis (tendon inflammation) which you can find more detail on further down this page.
Recovery times for acute injuries can be better estimated than chronic but of course they do also vary and rely on the individual’s commitment to doing the right things at the right times. They can generally be estimated at the following durations:
Level 1 (light) – 1-3 weeks
Level 2 (moderate) – 4-8 weeks
Level 3 (severe) – 9-12+ weeks
If you suspect you have a severe acute injury such as a fracture or fully ruptured muscle/ligament/cartilage (symptoms can be intense pain, hearing a loud crack or pop, extreme loss of movement or joint instability, severe bruising, impaired motor control) then you should first seek medical advice (call 111 or attend A&E). If you have sustained a head injury then you should seek immediate medical support.
Another very common injury type is Tendinosis or Tendonitis.
Tendonitis (an inflamed tendon) is considered an acute injury and recovery can often take 4-6 weeks – pain/inflammation will generally have been occurring for only a few weeks.
Tendinosis (a degenerated tendon) is a chronic injury and recovery can often take 3-6 months – pain/inflammation will generally have been occuring for a number of months.
An important part of recovery for a tendon issue is to reduce aggravation, modify load/intensity and work on graded strengthening exercises.
Post-operative recovery is a different category and depends on the type of surgery you have received. This is generally a much lengthier recovery time and often takes up to 9+ months for a full return to sport/activity. We do not provide post-op rehabilitation here, but this should already be provided by Physiotherapists linked to your surgical provider whether NHS or private.
If you would like to know more about the pains and injuries that we commonly treat please visit our injuries page.
We are skilled in utilising a wide variety of techniques to help get the results you need.
Click here for more information on what to expect before, during and after your physical therapy treatment.
“I recently visited Flux due to a gym injury which impacted my back, right shoulder and neck which resulted in a constant headache. After a professional and friendly service from Kristan I’m now fully recovered.”