When can i return to play?
The aim of rehabilitation is to return you to your sport or activity as soon as is safely possible. If you return before your injury is completely healed, it is likely to cause greater damage. Every person recovers from an injury differently, but if you follow the immediate injury management procedures and as well as the rehabilitation procedures, an athlete recovering from a grade 2 MCL sprain usually occurs in 3 weeks to 3 months, depending on the severity of the injury, although lingering minor stiffness and soreness for six months is not uncommon. *Note this is only an estimated prediction, not specific to your injury.
To ensure that you are not returning to your sport or activity to quickly there are several factors which govern your readiness to play.
To ensure that you are not returning to your sport or activity to quickly there are several factors which govern your readiness to play.
Indictors of readiness to return to play:
The degree of mobility around the injured area needs to be complete and relatively pain free to allow the greatest chance of reaching full potential. You should be able to perform movements and skills similar to an event or game situation. For example, if your elected sport was touch football, you would ensure that you could run/sprint, vividly change direction, pass the ball whilst running etc. You should mirror actions that you will perform during a game situation.
Monitoring Progress:
Having both pre-test and post-test results for monitoring your progress, allows coaches or medical practitioner to make an educated decision on the player’s present fitness without risking further injury. The tests need to incorporate specific movement patterns e.g. tests such as the Illinois test would be appropriate for your MCL sprain.
Psychological Readiness:
Even if you’re physically recovered from an injury, you may not be psychologically ready to return to elite competition. You may want to return to play well before an injury is fully recovered, where other people may feel pressured to get back on the field of play even though they do not feel confident that the injury will withstand the pressure of full competition. Both situations can lead to re-injury. A balance between motivation, self-assurance and common sense is fundamental to a safe return to play.
Specific Warm-up Procedures:
Before training or playing a game, you must ensure that you are fully warmed up and muscle groups have been properly stretched. During the warm up you should focus on exercises that work your injured knee and prepare it for the demands it may encounter throughout the game.
Examples:
Shuttle Run: Start in a standing position with your feet about hip width apart. Slightly bend your knees. Sidestep to the right by pushing off with the left foot, or back foot. Once you have covered half the length, turn so the opposite foot is now leading. Keep your hip, knee and ankle in line and do not allow the knees to cave inward.
Light Jump Rope: You don't actually need a jump rope to perform this warm-up exercise. An imaginary jump rope will do just fine. Start with a staggered jumping motion where you alternate between picking up each foot. This will decrease the amount of shock to the knees. After about one minute, you can then graduate to the jump rope single hop. This is the standard jump roping move where you hop with both feet simultaneously. Stay on the balls of your feet and keep the movement light. Continue for 3 minutes.
Backward Run: Running backwards will engage the hamstrings which are also connected at the knee joint. Although this exercise is referred to as a backward run, it is more like a jog. Make sure you have a level surface to run on with no obstacles or things to trip over. As you run, land on your toes each step. Do not lock out your knee; keep the knee joint soft. Keep this exercise soft and gentle. You can alternate this warm-up exercise with the shuttle run. Do not rush through this or any of the knee warm-up exercises. The entire warm-up should last about 10 to 15 minutes.
Examples:
Shuttle Run: Start in a standing position with your feet about hip width apart. Slightly bend your knees. Sidestep to the right by pushing off with the left foot, or back foot. Once you have covered half the length, turn so the opposite foot is now leading. Keep your hip, knee and ankle in line and do not allow the knees to cave inward.
Light Jump Rope: You don't actually need a jump rope to perform this warm-up exercise. An imaginary jump rope will do just fine. Start with a staggered jumping motion where you alternate between picking up each foot. This will decrease the amount of shock to the knees. After about one minute, you can then graduate to the jump rope single hop. This is the standard jump roping move where you hop with both feet simultaneously. Stay on the balls of your feet and keep the movement light. Continue for 3 minutes.
Backward Run: Running backwards will engage the hamstrings which are also connected at the knee joint. Although this exercise is referred to as a backward run, it is more like a jog. Make sure you have a level surface to run on with no obstacles or things to trip over. As you run, land on your toes each step. Do not lock out your knee; keep the knee joint soft. Keep this exercise soft and gentle. You can alternate this warm-up exercise with the shuttle run. Do not rush through this or any of the knee warm-up exercises. The entire warm-up should last about 10 to 15 minutes.
policies and procedures
Each particular sports have specific return to play policies and procedures which need to be taken into consideration. The wellbeing of the athletes is the central consideration. It is important to check with coaches and sports officials to see when the athlete can return to play and the policies associated for those with MCL sprains.
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