Sports Injury Rehab
Sports injury rehab is physical therapy that gets athletes and active people back to their sport, and keeps them there. Western Slope Rehab and Performance is a sports and orthopedic clinic in Grand Junction, built to treat everyone from professional-level athletes to weekend warriors. We see athletes in Grand Junction, Fruita, Palisade, Orchard Mesa, Appleton, Clifton and the Redlands.
The sports injuries we treat most
Sports rehab here covers sprains, strains, tendon problems, broken bones and ligament tears from any sport or activity, including these.
Knee injuries
The knee is complex and often injured, from a nagging ache to an ACL tear. Read Knee Pain.
Shoulder injuries
Overuse, instability and arm-lock injuries in grappling sports. Read Shoulder Pain.
Foot and ankle
Ankle sprains and shin splints. Read Foot & Ankle Pain.
Hip and groin
Strains and tightness that limit your stride. Read Hip Pain.
Elbow and forearm
Tennis elbow and grappling elbow injuries. Read Upper Extremity Pain.
Strains and sprains
A pulled muscle is a strained muscle or tendon. A sprain is an overstretched ligament, and it can become a recurring problem if not treated.
Sports injury rehab for the sports people actually play here
Grand Junction athletes ski, climb, run, play tennis and train jiu jitsu, and each sport leaves its own pattern of injuries. Our team has written about recovering from jiu jitsu shoulder and elbow injuries caused by arm locks such as the kimura, the americana and the arm bar, about tennis elbow, and about staying injury-free through a Colorado ski season.
Athletic injury care starts with the same question each time: what does your sport ask of this body part, and what is it not yet ready to do? Your plan is built around that answer, not around a generic protocol.
Runners, youth athletes and weekend warriors
Running injury
Shin splints can often be avoided with proper footwear, stretching and a warm-up. Gait retraining exercises can help runners whose movement pattern keeps overloading the same spot.
Youth sports injury
We treat athletes of all ages and skill levels. Young athletes with a sprain, strain or an aching joint should be seen early rather than playing through it.
Weekend warriors
Inactive all week, then a long day on the slopes or trail on Sunday, is a classic way to get hurt. We help you build a plan that keeps your body ready between outings.
How a sports physical therapist gets you moving
Hands-on
Building back stronger
- Therapeutic Exercise
- Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) Training training
- Time in our on-site Gym Memberships
Measuring progress
- Force Plate Testing testing
- Strength and movement checks against your goals
- A plan for the full season
How we know you are ready to go back
Pain going away does not mean the tissue is ready for a full practice or race. Return to sport is a test, not a date on the calendar. We check strength, control and movement quality against what your sport demands. Force plate testing can add objective measures of how you push off, land and balance. This matters after an ACL injury and after surgery, and ACL rehab runs on those milestones. If you have had an operation, see Post-Surgical Rehab.
If you work with a coach, athletic trainer or team physician, tell us so your plan fits with theirs.
Straight answers on rest, pain and playing through it
Should I rest until the pain goes away?
Complete rest for long stretches leads to stiffness, muscle loss and slower healing. Guided movement is usually better, and your therapist will show you how much is safe.
If I can walk on it, is it really that bad?
People walk or run on sprains and stress injuries and make them worse, or load other joints to compensate. Have it checked.
Does pain mean progress?
Some discomfort during exercise is expected, but sharp or lasting pain is a warning sign. We aim for pain-free progress.
Get back to your sport from Grand Junction and the Grand Valley
Athletes come to us from Grand Junction, Fruita, Palisade, Orchard Mesa, Appleton, Clifton and the Redlands. You can start physical therapy without a referral from a doctor in most cases. Some insurance plans, including Medicare, still need a doctor's sign-off on the plan of care (Direct Access). Call (970) 314-9822 and we will check your plan.
We see patients from Grand Junction and the surrounding Grand Valley: Fruita, Palisade, Orchard Mesa, Appleton, Clifton and the Redlands.