How long does it take to recover from a sports injury?

There is no unified standard answer to the recovery period of sports injuries. In mild cases, you may be able to bounce around in two or three days, while in severe cases, it may even take a year or two to return to the level of exercise before the injury. I have been in the amateur running circle for almost 8 years, and I have seen a lot of difference.

A little girl who just ran a half-marathon last month wore ill-fitting racing shoes, which resulted in a two-centimeter blood blister on the sole of her foot. She applied a hydrocolloid dressing to reduce friction. She returned to normal long-distance running within three days. This kind of minor soft tissue injury that only involves the epidermis does heal quickly. Two years ago, I slipped and sprained my ankle while hiking down the mountain. The MRI showed only stretch and edema in the ligaments but no tears. I strictly followed the doctor's instructions to apply ice for the first three days and step on the ground less. After that, I slowly did activation exercises around the ankle. I walked normally at a brisk pace in about two weeks, and resumed jogging after a month. This kind of mild joint sprain can generally return to normal exercise within a month or two.

If deep tissues such as ligaments and tendons are injured, the recovery time will be doubled several times. A golf friend who used to play half-court together sprained his foot while trying to grab a rebound. The lateral ankle ligament was partially torn and he wore a brace. After that, he trained with a rehabilitation specialist on ankle strength and balance for more than two months before he dared to touch the ball slowly. It took half a year before he dared to play normally.

The most troublesome thing is actually the serious injuries involving joint structures, such as anterior cruciate ligament rupture and third-degree meniscus tear, which basically require surgical intervention, and the recovery period is longer than ordinary people expect. A semi-professional basketball player I know had a dedicated rehabilitator to monitor the progress every day after the front fork was rebuilt, and it took him 18 months to get back on the league roster. If ordinary enthusiasts don't have this condition, they just care for themselves and don't do rehabilitation, and there are many people who will not be able to perform well for two or three years.

The reason why the recovery periods found by everyone are so different is that there is actually a core point of controversy, which is that everyone has completely different standards for "returning to normal". Many people think that it is fine if they are not in pain and can walk normally. In fact, the strength of the damaged tissue and the stability of the joints have not returned to the level before the injury. Resuming high-intensity exercise rashly can easily cause secondary injuries. Another controversial point is whether to rest or move early after an injury. Many elderly people think that they should lie still after an injury. However, the current mainstream rehabilitation view is to carry out mild functional training as early as possible within a safe range. Pure rest is more likely to cause muscle atrophy and joint adhesion. Recovery that should take two months can take up to half a year.

In fact, damage recovery is very similar to repairing tires. If there is only a small nail on the surface, it can open normally after a dozen minutes of patching. If the entire tire wall is cracked, not only the tires must be replaced, but also four-wheel alignment and dynamic balancing must be done. It takes a long time before you dare to drive at high speed. If you go off-road after patching a small nail, there will definitely be problems. I usually tell my injured friends, don’t always focus on other people’s recovery time and rush forward. Everyone’s sports foundation, degree of injury, and recovery execution are different. It is more reliable to communicate with your attending doctor or rehabilitation therapist than to search for various “standard answers” ​​online.