What is Focus Medical?
Focus Medical is the medical side of Focus Athletics Inc. consisting of an Operating Room (OR) that will cater orthopaedic cases of mostly sports-related injuries, in-house Doctors with different orthopaedic specializations (refer to the picture below for doctors’ schedule), and trained sports Physiotherapists. Physiotherapists aid patients in their rehabilitation and recovery. The goal is to have continuity of care from surgery to doctor consultation to rehabilitation, and finally, to performance training.
Who are Physiotherapists?
Physiotherapists (also known as physical therapist, PT) offer services to people to preserve, improve and return their maximum movement and functional ability. We also give support on their physical, psychological, emotional, and social well-being. Moreover, we promote health, wellness, and fitness. We are more likely to be seen at out-patient hospitals and clinics, home (home care), skilled nursing facilities, schools, research centers, fitness centers and sports training facilities.
What is Sports Rehabilitation?
Sports Rehabilitation deals with the restoration of athletes and active individuals with impairments, activity limitations, or participation restrictions, focusing on the return of athletes to their sport activities. The key to a successful rehabilitation program is through a physiotherapist’s proper examination, evaluation, educated judgment on impression and prognosis, and correct and timely progression of the treatment plan. Constant communication with the doctor is also important for appropriate management to injuries.
Sports Injury and Classifications
Sports injury is more common in males than females because most sports are dominated by the former. There is also an alarming increase of individuals, mostly teenagers of both genders, sustaining injury due to increase in sports demand and participation as people are gearing towards an active lifestyle. However, proper training is a must to prevent injuries.
Acute injury is a result of a single, traumatic event leading to inflammation and weakness. Common examples are sprain (ligamentous/capsule injury), strain (muscle/ tendon injury), and dislocation. Frequently, recurrent acute injuries lead to chronic injury, which lasts for three months or greater. Less inflammation is seen over its course. Overuse injuries are developed along with chronic injuries. These injuries are subtle and typically develop over time due to repetitive micro-trauma to the tendons, bones, and joints such as in stress fractures and tendinitis. Overall, the common causes of all these injuries are improper equipment and use, poor training practice, lack of body strength and conditioning, lack of rest and recovery, insufficient warm up and cool down, and poor nutrition and hydration.
Injury Management
- Respect pain! Pain is a guide that you are doing something wrong.
- Do PRICE technique (Protect, Rest, Ice, Compress, and Elevate) to decrease pain and control inflammation for acute cases.
- Do no HARM (Heat, Alcohol, Run, Massage) as this can increase inflammation to above normal levels, which can lead to delayed healing.
- Consult a doctor right away to prevent further injuries. Some tests are needed to rule out and manage injuries.
- Rehabilitate and recover with physiotherapists for faster healing and appropriate treatment.
- Use modalities as aid in recovery.
- Recovery Pump – flushes out metabolic wastes
- Game Ready – reduces inflammation and pain through its combined compression and cryotherapy system
- KAATSU Training – blood flow moderation
- Motion Guidance System – visual feedback rehabilitation
- LASER Therapy – accelerates tissue healing, reduce pain and inflammation
- Electrotherapy plus hot/cold therapy and myofascial release techniques for acute pain
Injury “Prevention”
Prevention of sports injury is always the top priority. However, injury cannot really be prevented. On the bright side, there are plenty of ways to lessen the seriousness and the impact of an injury.
- Warm-up – increases blood flow to activate systems for preparation to activities such as:
- static and dynamic stretches
- jogging
- the most neglected part – the pillar and gluteal preparation
- Cool down – slowly returns body to normal levels and to prevent muscle soreness after activity
- Rest and Recover – done in between sets. The more intense the activity, the longer the rest periods to help the body to pull through. Your body needs break to rebuild.
- Active rest – an activity that keeps heart rate elevation or body in motion between sets. This is more preferable.
- Passive rest – an activity that allows heart rate to drop such as in a static position.
- Nutrition and Hydration is vital as this is the energy source of our body, especially during strenuous activity.
- Analysis of Fitness and Skills Level – determines which activity is appropriate and is the basis of individualized program progression
-You are accountable for your own recovery.-
