Analyzing the Role of Physical Therapy in Recovery From Sport-Related Orthopedic Injuries.

BACKGROUND

Orthopedic injuries from sports are frequent in physically active people, and they often need organized therapy to restore function and stop recurrence.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the role of physical therapy in functional recovery, performance improvement, and re-injury reduction among patients with sport-related orthopedic injuries.

METHODOLOGY

This descriptive observational study was conducted at the Department of Physical Therapy, Bacha Medical College Mardan, from March 2023 to February 2024. The study included 216 individuals with orthopedic injuries connected to sports who had undergone at least four weeks of physical therapy and were between the ages of 18 and 50. SPSS version 25 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA) was used to gather and analyze data on demographics, injury kind and location, therapeutic methods, and recovery results.

RESULTS

Out of the 216 participants, 84 (38.89%) were female and 132 (61.11%) were male. The most common injuries were ligament sprains or tears (33.33%), muscle strains (22.69%), fractures (18.98%), joint dislocations (16.67%), and tendon injuries (8.33%). The knee was the most frequently affected site (30.09%), followed by the shoulder (22.69%) and ankle (20.37%). Therapeutic exercises were administered to 87.50% of patients, manual therapy to 72.22%, and electrotherapy to 62.04%. Significant improvements were observed: 86.11% reported pain reduction, 80.09% improved range of motion, and 73.61% achieved functional recovery. A total of 63.89% resumed athletic activities, while 8.80% experienced a re-injury.

CONCLUSION

Physical therapy interventions significantly support recovery, functional improvement, and safe return to sport in patients with orthopedic injuries.