At the Cheltenham clinic, we can also use two types of Shockwave Therapy to speed up the healing process, reduce pain and really give those stubborn tendinopathies, stress fractures, joint and ligament strains a kick start in healing!If you’re starting a new sport or setting yourself some big fitness goals in 2025, you might need to […]
At the Cheltenham clinic, we can also use two types of Shockwave Therapy to speed up the healing process,
reduce pain and really give those stubborn tendinopathies, stress fractures,
joint and ligament strains a kick start in healing!If you’re starting a new sport or setting yourself some big fitness goals in 2025, you might need to know what to do if that post-training soreness last a little longer than expected…
What are the most common sports injuries you see as a
physiotherapist?
It’s great for treating tendinopathies that are more than 12 weeks old and haven’t responded to standard physiotherapy treatment — conditions like tennis elbow, rotator cuff issues, gluteal tendinopathy and plantar fasciitis, for example.
- You’ll receive your own tailored ‘progressive overload training’
home exercise plan via the app Physitrack, which includes useful videos, audio and written
descriptions to help you complete the assigned exercises and the ability to track your
progress; we can also see how you’re getting on and update your plans
when
you’re ready to progress. - We only offer Focused Shockwave Therapy at our Cheltenham clinic, currently — in fact, very few clinics in the UK currently offer this type of shockwave treatment, with Pea Green Physio being one of the only places in Cheltenham.
- There are effectively three types of sports injuries:
What is progressive overload training — and why is it recommended for rehabilitation?
Stay hydrated, wear appropriate sport-specific gear and use the right footwear for your sport.Avoid static stretching before exercising — this can weaken your muscles. Instead, keep your static stretches for cool downs or rest days.The Pea Green Physio team also work closely with specialist orthopaedic surgeons and pain specialists in Cheltenham and will refer patients on for further investigation, where appropriate. We can also arrange referrals for MRI scans or MSK podiatrists for bespoke orthotic insoles, which may be recommended especially for lower limb injuries.
How do physiotherapists deal with sports injuries?
If post-training soreness lasts longer, it may indicate that you
are overtraining or it could be a repetitive strain injury; at
this stage, we’d recommend booking a 20-minute ‘Express Injury Assessment’
with Pea Green Physio to get to the root of the problem. Whether you’re a runner, lift weights or play golf, sports injuries are common and very treatable. Stephanie Smith-Rowles explains how her Cheltenham clinic, Pea Green Physio, can help with innovative Focused Shockwave Therapy treatment, hands-on therapies and bespoke rehabilitation programmes for sports injuries.
the form of strength and conditioning, stretching and proprioception, with
bespoke rehabilitation programmes, continued support,
advice, education
and
encouragement.
This treatment is available at both our Bicester and Cheltenham clinics.Plans are tailored to each patient’s needs, with a focus on
slow and controlled movements, gradually adding weights and increasing
resistance and adjusting your repetitions and sets over time. You don’t have to have access
to a gym to do this; your own body weight can be used to adjust difficulty. We can also provide resistance balls and bands and will ensure your home excercises fit into your lifestyle. It’s very
specific and targeted; if passed over normal tissue there’s no pain, but once
passed over damaged tissue, it can elicit your exact pain, which shows us that we
are targeting the precise location of your injured tissue.By
carefully increasing the intensity of exercise, tissues adapt and regenerate stronger
than before, aiding recovery and reducing the risk of future injuries — making it an essential part of rehabilitation post-injury.Always warm up! Take five minutes to incorporate some sport-specific bodyweight exercises before taking part in any sort of sport or training. This could include dynamic stretching, core work, bounding or skipping to get yor muscles warm, heart rate up and your blood pumping around your body.All of the above can occur when the body is not strong enough to cope with your training load or lacks enough rest, healing and recovery.
What’s the difference between Focused and Radial Shockwave Therapy for sports injuries?
If
you’re starting a new sport, don’t go all in if your body isn’t prepared; gradually build up over a few weeks, to allow your body to adapt.At Pea Green Physio, we have a team of physiotherapists with decades of experience in sports injuries and rehabilitation between us. (See Award-winning Cheltenham physio clinic expands with innovative tech for treatments for more information about the team’s expertise.)Rest
days are really important to prevent overtraining; to help tissues to regenerate, heal and remodel to become stronger for
the next time you place the same load upon your body. If you fail to have rest
days, this can lead to fatigue, stalled progress and put you at risk of injury.
We use both types of Shockwave Therapy at Pea Green Physio, to treat different types of injuries.Overuse or overtraining injuries: Injuries such as tendon micro tears
resulting in tendinitis, like tennis or golfer’s elbow, rotator cuff
tendinopathies or Achilles tendinitis, are a few examples.
injuries are just luck of the draw and we can’t always prevent every injury — however, incorporating regular strength, conditioning and mobility into your exercise routine is key to staying fit and
strong; and can really help with injury prevention.Delayed onset muscle soreness, or DOMS, is normal after exercise and can last one or two days — at most a week, especially if you’re new to or progressing training.Where required, we can provide additional interventions including in-house ultrasound diagnostics for lower limbs by the clinic’s expert in neurological and MSK physiotherapy, Wilson Mbutu.
Prioritise your diet and nutrition — you can’t out-train a poor diet and this
will hamper your recovery.
Bone stress fractures: These include conditions like shin splints (medial
tibial stress syndrome) and stress fractures in the foot bones, tibia or
fibular, femur or pubic symphysis, to name a few.
What are your top tips for injury prevention and recovery?
Don’t
forget those rest days! If complete rest isn’t your thing, try ‘active rest days’ with lower impact
activities like walking, cycling, swimming, yoga
or pilates.
- As physiotherapists, we play a key role in guiding patients through their healing journey, from the moment of injury to full recovery — to help them return to the sports and hobbies they love.
- Prices start from £45 and you’ll get a mini assessment, diagnosis of the condition and advice on how
to
manage and treat it. - We also use thorough, hands-on techniques like deep tissue and sports
massages,
trigger point and active release techniques, specific soft tissue mobilisation,
joint mobilisation and manipulation treatments; as well as strapping and taping to support your ligaments and joints whilst healing. - Focused Shockwave Therapy provides effective, immediate pain
relief and fast healing by promoting new blood vessels, nerves, bone and
collagen production — and can be used to treat acute or chronic
tendinopathies, stress fractures, osteoarthritis and neuropathies. - Strains
and sprains: These affect joints, ligaments, tendons and muscles and can include ankle sprains, hip, shoulder or knee injuries, ligament tears and muscle strains. - Radial kickstarts the healing process but must be combined with a 12-week rehabilitation programme of progressive overload training to be effective.
