Quand est-il sûr de reprendre le sport après une blessure ?

As Charlie Bannigan, un ostéopathe et spécialiste des blessures sportives à la Joy Lane Clinic dans le Kent explique que les conséquences d'une blessure peuvent souvent aller au-delà du physique et commencer à affecter la santé mentale d'une personne.

“Trying to tell an athlete or sportsperson that they cannot train is difficult, because for one they are used to training and secondly if they don’t train this could lead to them feeling very low. For some, it can lead to dépression ”,», dit-il.

The temptation, then, might be to soldier on irrespective – ignoring the pain and attempting to train as you always do. In some cases, you might be able to get away with this. All sportspeople deal with twinges and niggles from time to time, and if you had to wait for your body to function 100% optimally, you likely wouldn’t train at all.

Oftentimes, however, this stoical approach can backfire. Through forcing yourself through strong pain, you risk making a bad situation worse.

“Running through significant pain can result in further damage to an already injured body part – e.g. tendon, muscle, bone,” explains Dr John Rogers, a sports and exercise medicine consultant at the Institut de Santé et de Performance de Manchester, operated by HCA Healthcare UK. “It can also result in a significantly greater injury such as rupture de tendon or displacement of a fracture de stress.”

Quand consulter un kinésithérapeute

Alors, comment pouvez-vous évaluer la gravité d'une blessure et savoir quand il est acceptable de reprendre votre sport préféré ?

Comme l'explique Rogers, il y a plusieurs facteurs à prendre en compte. Tout d'abord, quel était le mécanisme de la blessure ? S'il s'agit d'une blessure aiguë ou traumatique (comme une chute de vélo ou une balle frappant votre œil), il est important de consulter un médecin immédiatement. L'exception serait si vous avez légèrement étiré un muscle – dans ce cas, il peut être raisonnable de gérer la blessure vous-même d'abord. (Essayez le ‘POLICE’ approche de l'autogestion.)

If it’s an overuse injury (often caused by biomechanical factors, poor technique, or a sudden increase in training volume), you’re probably best off seeing a physiotherapist or sports medicine doctor. However, it really depends on your level of pain.

“If it's only very mild pain then the chances are you won't have done anything too serious. If it’s moderate or severe pain (4 or more out of 10) that persists over 12-24 hours then it is more likely that you have a more significant injury,” says Rogers.

Bannigan adds that one basic test is whether you are still able to perform the activity, albeit with mild discomfort.

“If it doesn’t get worse during the activity, then ice the area after each time you train,” he says. “If after two to three weeks there is no improvement in your symptoms then perhaps it’s time to see a qualified expert. A GP is fine but most only have a broad knowledge of musculoskeletal injuries, so it’s best to see a sports osteopath or physiotherapist.”

En général, une intervention rapide est essentielle, car une blessure devrait se résoudre beaucoup plus rapidement avec un traitement aux premiers stades qu'elle ne le ferait plus tard.

“To use Tendinopathie d'Achille as an example, if it is treated early enough usually two to three sessions should resolve the symptoms,” says Bannigan. “But if it becomes chronic, fibrotic fibres will need to be broken down, which takes longer and sometimes requires anti-inflammatory injections.”

For those who are injured playing football, it’s generally important not to chance it, as many injuries can mask something more serious.

“The most common football injuries we see in our clinics are les entorses de la cheville, blessures aux ischio-jambiers and groin pain,” says Lucy Macdonald, a physiotherapist who runs the Octopus Clinic in London.

“In all three cases, a bone fracture can be missed if they are not examined thoroughly by an experienced physiotherapist or sports doctor. Once the physiotherapist has ruled this out then they can reassure the patient with a treatment plan. This is an important part of the recovery process and continues until both player and physio are 100% confident in the player’s performance.”

Le kinésithérapeute travaillera avec vous pour élaborer un plan de réhabilitation. Cela peut impliquer une recommandation pour des tests diagnostiques ou un traitement supplémentaire, ainsi qu'une thérapie manuelle pour réduire la douleur et le gonflement.

Importantly, it will also involve certain exercises designed to strengthen muscles, improve balance and retrain skills. While you may not be able to train as you usually would, you won’t need to ‘rest’ completely either – a physio should be able to recommend alternative types of training alongside exercises for the affected body part.

“For example, an exercise that would be appropriate for many football injuries, once severe injuries have been ruled out, would be standing on one leg with the eyes closed to retrain the body’s positional sense. You can learn more about how to do this safely in cette vidéo,” dit Macdonald.

Above all, the key is to train around the injury. Through keeping going in some capacity, you’ll not only recover more quickly – you’ll also be less prone to stress and frustration, and will maintain your fitness levels.

“For example, if someone has had a shoulder operation and cannot use their arm for four to six weeks, they could still train their legs and one side of the upper body with resistance exercises and do cardio on a stationary bike,” says Bannigan.

Perhaps surprisingly, if you train just one side of the body (as per Bannigan’s example), the other side tendra également à augmenter en intensité. Ce phénomène est appelé « effets contralatéraux » ou « éducation croisée » et peut vous inciter davantage à continuer si vous vous êtes blessé à un membre.

Quoi que vous fassiez, il est important d'être proactif en matière de gestion, ce qui signifie généralement consulter un professionnel de santé approprié. Les exercices de kinésithérapie peuvent sembler un peu laborieux et bien éloignés du sport que vous aimez. Mais l'objectif est de vous ramener sur le terrain de football ou la piste de course aussi rapidement et en toute sécurité que possible.