A big challenge facing some injured athletes is that of taking enough time off to heal. Amateurs, high school students and professional athletes have this in common. A painful injury can stop you in your tracks. As long as the pain is sufficient to keep you from returning to the field, you are able to let your body heal. For too many athletes, as soon as they feel a little better, they want to immediately return to the usual routine.
The Importance of Enough Time
There is a lot to be said for getting back into the usual routine as quickly as possible; however, when your body needs additional time for healing adequately, you need to be willing to allow for that. Getting back onto field before you have had enough effective healing time can do more harm to your body. In fact, not only can you become more susceptible to reinjury, you could exacerbate the one you have.
Concussion is one of the injuries that, when not given enough time to heal adequately, can cause major problems. Ignoring symptoms and continuing to “press on” despite the injury can make it worse. Depending on certain factors, healing from concussion can take longer than you may like; however, failure to take enough time can cause the symptoms to increase.
With this type of injury, if the concussion has not fully healed and a second one is sustained, there may be serious consequences. Children and teens are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of a second concussion. Swelling of the brain, permanent brain damage and in rare cases, death has occurred when the first concussion was not given enough time to heal.
Follow Doctor’s Orders
Ortho Sport & Spine specializes in treating sports injuries. We focus on minimally invasive treatments for injuries and non-surgical solutions whenever possible. We also recommend that patients take the time they need to fully recover from injuries and return to the normal routine gradually. Contact us if you have an injury and require medical help.
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