Osteopath for Sports Injuries

If you have a current sports injury such as a sprain, tennis elbow or any region of pain caused by repetitive strain or activity that you carry out, then you might consider visiting an osteopath. Osteopathic treatment could be used to reduce your pain and your osteopath would be able to offer you advice on how to reduce your risk of repeating your injury. An osteopath will be able to aid your recovery so that you are able to get back to your chosen sport as quickly as possible.

Common Causes of Sports Injuries

Common sports injuries include sprains, torn tendons, torn ligaments and repetitive strain injuries. Some of these injuries can be caused during non-sporting activities and in this case, the diagnosis and treatment are the same.


Running puts a lot of stress onto your knee joint (especially if you are running on a hard surface regularly) and this stress often has consequences for other areas of your body (such as your hips). If you are a runner, you will probably have experienced at least one sprained ankle in your lifetime from running over rough ground. This and pain in the knees are common injuries that runners often visit osteopaths for. 

If your sport is very active or you carry out activity without warming up sufficiently, then you may be at a high risk or tearing your soft tissue (muscle, tendons and ligaments). This can be extremely painful (especially the Achilles tendon) and your GP may suggest that you visit an osteopath (or a physiotherapist) to aid your recovery.

Diagnosis and Treatment for Sports Injuries

If you are considering visiting an osteopath for a sports injury then you probably already have a good idea what your diagnosis is. However, your osteopath may be able to give you more detail about the exact cause of your pain. A good example of this is if you are a runner with pain in your knee. Your osteopath will be able to explain why running causes this pain and how you can try to reduce the stress that you put on your knee (for example by wearing better running shoes, running on a softer surface and running with a better posture).

Massage of the painful region (and area around this region) will relieve the tension in the soft tissue and reduce inflammation that may be the source of your pain. Your osteopath may tell you that you have some areas of muscle that are over-developed compared to other areas of your muscles. They will use stretches, massage and move your joints in a way that restores the balance between your muscles. This will reduce the pressure on your problem area and aid in your recovery.

Your osteopath will be able to help you to change your posture and may also get you in touch with your relevant sports coach who may be able to fix your technique to reduce your risk of future injuries.


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