Sports Injury Recovery in Melbourne: What to Expect and How We Help

Sports injuries can be frustrating, especially when they keep you from doing what you love. Whether it’s a rolled ankle from footy at North Port Oval, a pulled hammy at training, or shoulder pain from too many serves on the tennis court, we get it. At City South Physiotherapy in South Melbourne, helping athletes recover quickly and safely is what we do best.

Assessing sports injuries

The first step is understanding the injury. Is it a sprain, strain, tendinopathy, or bone stress? We take a thorough history, test strength and range of motion, and assess how you move under load, not just where it hurts. For example, a hamstring strain might start at the muscle, but a lack of hip strength or body control often contributes to why it happened in the first place.

The sports injury recovery roadmap

1. Settle it down. We reduce pain and inflammation with hands-on treatment, gentle mobility, and (if needed) supportive taping or deloading strategies.
2. Restore movement. As symptoms settle, we gradually increase range of motion and low-load strength to get you moving confidently.
3. Rebuild capacity. This stage targets tissue strength, tendon health, and power. You’ll use our state of the art rehabilitation equipment to guide your recovery. We take the guess work out of rehab and give you real data that you can plug into your chosen sport or exercise regime.
4. Return to sport. We progress to change-of-direction, plyometrics, and sport-specific drills. Before you return, we complete thorough testing (e.g., hop tests, strength ratios) so you know you’re ready.

Typical timeframes (every sports injury is unique, but how long can you expect to take to recover?)

– Ankle sprain: 2–6 weeks for mild to moderate sprains; longer if high ankle ligaments (like the syndesmosis) are involved.
– Hamstring strain: 2–8+ weeks depending on location and severity; high-speed running as a part of your rehab is key.
– Patellar tendinopathy: Can take 6–12+ weeks; plan for progressive loading. Complete rest isn’t the option for tendon load issues!
– Rotator cuff irritation or tears: 4–12 weeks focused on strength, control, and overhead tolerance.

How we approach rehabilitation from sports injuries

Our clinic is equipped with strength and conditioning gear, Clinical Pilates equipment, and force plates — so your rehab happens in a real-world, measurable way. Our physios have worked with both elite and community level athletes across Melbourne, so you’ll get the same quality of care no matter your level. We also pride ourselves in staying in constant contact with your coaches where needed to keep your training on track.

Want a clear plan back to the game? Book with our sports physios in South Melbourne — we’ll get you back on the field stronger and more confident.