Okay, so you worked out too hard. Or maybe you thought you could still play pickup basketball like you did in college (spoiler alert: your body has other plans). You have pain now, and you’re not sure whether you should simply deal with it or if you can do anything about it.

The good news is that physical therapy for athletes isn’t only for elite athletes who have personal trainers and nice places to recuperate. It’s for everyone who has that bothersome injury that won’t go away, whether they’re a weekend warrior, a regular at the gym, or just a casual runner.

Let me show you five very frequent sports injuries that physical therapy may shockingly treat very quickly. And by “fast,” I mean weeks, not months of sitting on the sidelines and feeling sorry for yourself.

1. Runner’s Knee (Because, of course, that’s a thing)

If you run or play any activity that requires you to bend your knees a lot, you’ve definitely felt the ache around your kneecap. If we’re being fancy, runner’s knee is also known as patellofemoral pain syndrome. It’s when your kneecap doesn’t move correctly.

It occurs when the muscles surrounding your knee are out of balance, which is usually because your hip muscles aren’t working well. It turns out that everything is related.

Targeted strengthening workouts, particularly for your glutes and quads, are what physical therapy does to cure this. A qualified physical therapist will also look at how you run or move to find out what is creating the issue in the first place. Within 4 to 6 weeks, most individuals experience a big difference.

The most important thing is to complete the exercises every day, which, to be honest, is tougher than it seems since they’re not really fun. But it’s better than not being able to run, right?

2. Ankle sprains that won’t go away

Did you roll your ankle while playing soccer? Weirdly stepped off a curb? Yes, ankle sprains happen all the time. And here’s something that no one tells you: if you don’t rehab them well, they may turn into a long-term problem where your ankle feels weak and you keep hurting it again.

Not pleasant.

Athletes get physical therapy to help them regain strength, improve their balance (which is generally worse than you think after a sprain), and get their ankle back to its full range of motion. Balance exercises can appear dull, but they are really retraining your ankle’s proprioception, which is essentially teaching it to recognize where it is in space again.

Most of the time, PT works extremely effectively for acute ankle sprains, usually within 3–4 weeks. The chronic ones take a little longer, but they can still be fixed with the appropriate technique.

3. Shoulder Problems (The Gift That Keeps on Giving)

If you swim, play tennis, do CrossFit, or throw objects, you are likely to have shoulder difficulties. I’m sorry. Your shoulder may hurt in a lot of different ways, such rotator cuff strains, impingement syndrome, and overall shoulder instability.

The shoulder is a highly complicated joint that can move in a lot of different ways. This means that a lot of things may become inflamed or out of balance. Physical therapy helps with this by focusing on strengthening the rotator cuff, stabilizing the scapula (your shoulder blade has to move correctly too), and frequently doing some manual treatment to get your range of motion back.

A buddy of mine couldn’t move his arm over his shoulder without feeling agony. He believed he would have to have surgery. It turns out that six weeks of regular PT exercises cured it totally. He couldn’t believe it. His doctor said, “Yeah, this is why we try PT first.”

Shoulder problems might last anywhere from 6 to 12 weeks, but it’s worth it to avoid surgery if you can.

4. Shin Splints (The Worst Thing That Can Happen to a New Runner)

That acute, painful sensation on the front or inside of your shin? The classic case of shin splints. They frequently happen when you train too hard too fast, run on hard surfaces a lot, or have problems with how your foot hits the ground.

Physical therapy helps by fixing the underlying problems, such as making your lower leg muscles stronger, correcting your running form, and occasionally suggesting better shoes or orthotics if you require them. PTs also show you how to slowly make your workouts harder without going too far (since “just push through it” is bad advice, who knew?).

With the right therapy and changes to their exercise, most individuals get well from shin splints in 3 to 6 weeks. The key is not to go back to your full schedule as soon as you feel well. (Ask me how I know this.)

5. Strains in the lower back (Welcome to Adulthood)

Anyone who exercises weights, plays golf, or merely lives over the age of 30 will probably have back discomfort at some point. Poor form, weak core muscles, or doing too much too fast are all common causes of lower back injuries in sports.

Physical therapy is all about building up your core (not just your abs), making you more flexible, and teaching you how to move correctly. A competent PT will also watch you play your sport and figure out what’s causing too much strain on your back.

Here’s something interesting: some current physical therapy for athletes uses things like heart rate variability to keep an eye on their recuperation and stress levels. If your HRV is persistently low, it might mean that you’re working out too much or not getting enough rest, both of which can raise your risk of being hurt. (See, I was able to fit it in organically!)

Depending on how bad the strain is, recovery time might be highly different. However, many acute strains become a lot better in 4 to 8 weeks.

The Real Secret? Don’t Wait

My opinion is that you shouldn’t wait three months to visit a physical therapist. That annoying discomfort that “isn’t that bad”? If you don’t pay attention to it for long enough, it might become a long-term problem.

The essential ingredient is early intervention. Finding issues while they’re still little means you can heal quicker, avoid forming compensating tendencies, and go back to your sport sooner.

A skilled physical therapist doesn’t simply repair your injury; they also assist you understand why it occurred and how to prevent it from occurring again. That type of information pays off for a long time.

Yes, that’s right. If anything aches and doesn’t go better with rest, please stop being obstinate (I mean this with love) and go see someone. Your future self will be grateful.