Do you know the answer to this question?

[Peak PT Administrator 0]

Have you ever asked yourself, "Does my kid's injury need to be looked at by a professional?"

No easy answers here…that’s for sure!   Fall sports is definitely a time where we see more acute injuries in the clinic. It can be pretty tough to know as a parent when to bother getting seen by your doctor or a physical therapist versus just letting things settle on their own with some rest and ice. Most high school athletes have an athletic trainer at the school – so that’s a great starting point. But for some the hours don’t match up to be seen or things are so busy it might be harder to get looked at.    There’s plenty of injuries that are minor bumps and bruises and “sort of” strains that probably don’t need to have you running off to the emergency room or urgent care right away. We’ve all seen those. It seems so painful in the moment and first hours and then the next day they’re (or you’re) up and running around like nothing happened. Quick recoveries are awesome aren’t they!    But we’ve also seen in the clinic those times where somebody was days out and still limping. A week out and not able to use their arm normally. Or even two days later and the joint was sharply painful or making odd noises. Or just couldn’t be used properly.    When a possible broken bone is the concern...if there’s obvious deformity or it swells really dramatically/quickly, if it’s exquisitely tender right over the bone itself, or the part won’t accept weight, then call your doctor or consider heading to the emergency room or an urgent care. You might need x-rays done to be sure there isn’t a fracture.    But there are plenty of injuries that don’t immediately require x-rays but leave you wondering when to pull the trigger on seeing a professional.   Plenty of minor injuries are painful but improve quickly. If the pain is lessening steadily and function (the ability to use the body part) is significantly improving day by day then monitoring things may be fine.    But the more moderate an injury is, the more delayed the recovery process can be…and delaying treatment can add more time to that day you make it back to playing or work or just living normally again.  And it’s often avoidable.  If substantial improvements aren’t happening steadily, let’s say at least as you look back every day or two, then see a professional who can evaluate the injury or pain and make recommendations.    Be demanding. Expect significant improvement. It’s much easier to get a quick treatment response when you get help sooner versus later!   If you’re not sure what to do for your pain or injury, give one of our physical therapists a call at 218-0240 and we’ll try to help you through this.   Karen