Flex Health - Sheffield

Always nice when a plan comes together 🙌

2 months on from an MCL injury playing football is back on the pitch ⚽️

A relatively smooth journey through the phases of rehab:
- Braced initially to protect the healing site ✅
- Reduced swelling and restored range of movement ✅
- Strengthened in linear and lateral positions ✅
- Landing and jumping mechanics ✅
- Returned to run ✅
- Return to sport testing ✅
- Returned to training and completed end stage rehab ✅

End stage rehab needs to be as demanding as the sport itself. So the last sessions included various reactive change of direction drills with and without fatigue, demanding strength exercises and head tennis for good measure ⚽️

Sent back to play with a maintenance programme in place 🙌

Need help returning to your sport? Get in touch to find out how we could help 👋

When does your lower back rehab end?

Lili came in to see us in December last year after having issues with lower back and sciatic pain for the last 18 months 😢

There’d been progress, then setbacks, then progress, then setbacks but without being able to consistently be in the gym and play rugby with limitation 😩

The last 5 months has gone from daily pain and not being able to bend forwards, to being back in the gym and on the pitch without pain 🔥

With the pain being managed for so long, it’s not surprising there’s still areas to work on. So with a half marathon later in the year, she is managing progression more independently along with her PT, with intermittent check ins at Flex Health to keep chasing the deficits 🏋️

So if your lower back rehab doesn’t get you all the way back to your goals, then let us know 👋

Why just stretch when you can also strength too?

If high pain isn’t a factor, combining lengthening and strengthening exercises is a nice way of getting lots of birds with one big stone 🦆

1️⃣ Get used to the feeling of moving one leg over the other- it’s weird at the start

2️⃣ Add this feeling to a bent knee side plank. Reach the bottom hip as far back as you can, as the top leg rotates over the top. Push Hips forwards and through on the return

Feel a big stretch as you lengthen the glute, and a big burn as you utilise the stretch 🍑

Great for glute tightness, knee issues and general strengthening ✨