Photo courtesy of Kai Aboulian
Kai Aboulian

Okay, how many of you out there have been nursing some nagging little injury all season, playing through the pain this fall because you just couldn't bear to miss a practice or a game?

In this week's Visit to the Training Room, Kai Aboulian, an athletic trainer and physical therapist at Foundry Sports Medicine in Providence, explains why it's really time to start listening to your body:

To All Athletes:

Congratulations on your performance in your fall sport and hope that you had a great season whether you won the championship or not. You are all champions by your attendance and performance in your respected sports.

Now that the fall season is over and the winter season is arriving soon, it is a great idea to take advantage of this mini off-season to rest up and heal from your fall sports injuries.

This is very important, especially for the athletes who are particularly driven and soon going to transition into a winter sport, as they may not realize the importance of giving injuries time to heal properly.

The human body has the capability to heal damaged soft tissue and does it by laying down new tissue to mend the damaged tissue.

There are 3 phases of tissue response to an injury:

Phase One _ Vascular response, and inflammation which lasts several days.
Phase Two _ Tissue reconstruction, and repair phase which lasts 6-8 weeks.
Phase Three _ Remodeling and functional restoration which lasts for months.

Nonetheless, the biggest risk of injury is a previous injury, which is why rest and proper rehabilitation of a previous injury is so important.

Understanding the risk factors for injury and the importance of addressing these factors is very important during the off-season.
This includes remembering:
The importance of Protection, relative Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation (PRICE) principles.
The basic components of rehabilitation _ Range of Motion, Flexibility, Stretching, Strengthening and Return to functional activity.

Rehabilitation may be required if the symptoms persist beyond two weeks. A good rehabilitation program should address the pain, improve the movement, increase strength and general condition. In addition, it should help the athlete to return to normal activities as quickly as possible.

After a good rest period in between the seasons, a proper exercise program and prehabilitation will ensure that the damaged tissue heals properly and will prevent chronic problems from occurring.

So remember; the healthier you are, the more helpful you are to your team's success.

Communicate with your team athletic trainer, coach and team physician.

If you have a specific sports medicine question for Kai, e-mail it to him at kai@foundrysportsmedicine.com.