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Sports rehabilitation: articles and guides
Ligament and tendon injury, return to training and the decisions that prevent a second one.
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Sports Sports How long does a sprained ankle take to heal?
A mild ankle sprain often settles within a few weeks, while moderate and severe sprains can take considerably longer, sometimes months. Early movement, protected weight-bearing and exercise speed recovery more than prolonged rest. Balance training and, for some people, a brace reduce the risk of spraining the same ankle again.Read moreSports How long does a pulled hamstring take to heal?
Mild hamstring strains often allow a return to sport within a few weeks, while more severe injuries, particularly those involving the tendon, can take several months. A trial in elite sprinters found that lengthening-type exercises shortened return to training compared with conventional exercises. Nordic hamstring exercises reduce the risk of future injury.Read moreSports Should you rest or exercise with Achilles tendon pain?
For most people with Achilles tendinopathy, progressive loading exercise works better than complete rest. Exercise programmes such as heavy slow resistance or eccentric calf training improve pain and function over a period of weeks. Activity can often continue with adjustments. Sudden pain with a snap and weakness may indicate a rupture and needs urgent assessment.Read moreSports How is jumper's knee treated, and when can you return to sport?
Jumper's knee, or patellar tendinopathy, is treated mainly with a progressive loading programme that builds tendon capacity over a period of weeks, alongside adjusting jumping load. Heavy slow resistance training gave lasting improvement in a trial, while steroid injections helped briefly but symptoms returned. Return to sport is guided by pain response and function.Read moreSports How long does an MCL knee injury take to heal?
Most isolated MCL injuries heal without surgery. Mild sprains often recover within a few weeks, partial tears take longer, and complete tears can take the longest, sometimes several months. A hinged brace for protection, early movement and progressive strengthening support healing. Injuries combined with other ligament damage may need surgical assessment.Read moreSports Will my shoulder dislocate again after the first time?
It depends mainly on age, sex and joint laxity. Younger people face a substantially higher chance of the shoulder dislocating again after a first traumatic injury. With physiotherapy alone, a substantial proportion of people do not dislocate again. Surgery to repair the torn labrum reduces the risk of further dislocation.Read moreSports How is a PCL injury different from an ACL injury?
The ACL and PCL are the two cross-shaped ligaments inside the knee. PCL injuries are less common, often result from a blow to the front of the shin, and isolated PCL tears are usually treated without surgery. ACL tears more often cause the knee to give way during twisting sports, and reconstruction is considered more frequently.Read moreSports Can you live a normal life without an ACL?
Many people can. In a Swedish randomised trial of young active adults, rehabilitation with the option of later reconstruction gave knee outcomes over time similar to early reconstruction, and a substantial share never needed surgery. People who want to return to pivoting sports or whose knee keeps giving way are more likely to need reconstruction.Read more
