8 Soft Tissue Injury Prevention Methods
By
Richard Janvrin
Contributor Updated: 12 February 2025
Richard Janvrin Contributor
Richard has been writing about sports since he was a teenager. Still, his first professional role came in 2015, covering all things NFL and fantasy football-related. From there, in December 2018, he started in the sports betting industry, covering sportsbook reviews before arriving to where he is today.
Ways Athletes Recover From Soft Tissue Injuries
Soft tissue injuries are some of the worst an athlete can suffer. No, they’re not a torn ACL or Achilles, but these can linger all season long.
In the NFL, these types of injuries routinely keep players out for multiple weeks, and sometimes, it’s not in a row. A player could get hurt, come back, and reaggravate it.
There are numerous types of soft tissue injuries, including hamstrings and other ligaments, tendons, and muscles.
These injuries must also be considered when you do any online sports betting, as key players could play less or get hurt again.
With that in mind, below are some soft tissue injury prevention methods athletes use to recover and prevent these.
- R.I.C.E. Protocol
- Medical Evaluations
- Managing Pain
- Various Therapies
- Physical Therapy
- Nutrition and Hydration
- Stages of Returning to Action
- Mental Health Support
- Long Term Care
R.I.C.E. Protocol
After suffering a soft tissue injury, using the “R.I.C.E.” protocol is important.
This is excellent for long-term soft tissue injury prevention.
R.I.C.E. is an acronym for “Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation.”
- Rest: Of course, discontinue use of the impacted area to prevent any other damage. This immediately helps the healing process.
- Ice: Apply ice consistently for 15 minutes or so every few hours. This helps with inflammation and can help numb any pain from the impacted area.
- Compression: Wrapping the affected area with elastic bandages or compression gear can prevent fluid from building up.
- Elevation: The key to this is to elevate the area above your heart, as this location will assist with any swelling and help with fluids.
This usually starts as soon as possible, but starting within the first 48 hours is highly recommended.
Medical Evaluations
After suffering soft tissue injuries, the athlete must get it medically evaluated to understand its severity. This is done with X-rays, MRIs, and ultrasounds. It helps determine whether there’s additional damage, like any breaks or fractures.
Professional athletes have medical teams on site that’ll help evaluate these things immediately in the locker room should it happen during a game.
Managing Pain
It goes without saying, but managing the pain from the injured area helps you get through rehabilitation.
These methods include medication, topical creams and gels, cryotherapy, and a TENS Unit.
These medications can include over-the-counter medications or prescribed painkillers.
With topical creams and gels, these are designed to target the designated area for relief.
Professional athletes may even use cryotherapy, including an enhanced ice bath or a chamber to thwart inflammation.
Finally, a TENS Unit, or a transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation device, can be used to assist with pain. It is also used for injuries like costochondritis, which is a chest injury.
Various Therapies
We’ll explore physical therapy, but there are other types of therapies athletes can use to assist with recovery.
Massage therapy is one of the best methods as it helps relieve tension, improve circulation in the area, and reduce pain.
There’s also laser therapy, ultrasound therapy, and acupuncture.
Laser therapy is meant to help with cells and inflammation, and ultrasound uses sound waves to assist with the regeneration of the area.
With acupuncture, this will help improve blood flow.
Physical Therapy
Physical therapy is something all athletes will undergo after suffering soft tissue injuries.
In working with the therapist, the goal is to strengthen the area, restore proper range of motion, assist with getting players back to use motions they’d use every day in their sport, and techniques for stretching and helping the area.
Nutrition and Hydration
It may come as a surprise, but yes, eating and drinking right can help.
Foods with protein help with muscle repair, and fruits, vegetables, and nuts are considered anti-inflammatory foods. Staying hydrated helps with circulation, and supplements can help boost various vitamins, zinc, and more.
Athletes are known to have nutritionists and dietitians who help prepare meals and plans to assist their recovery.
Stages of Returning to Action
There are stages to eventually returning to action from a soft tissue injury.
These include many of the things we covered, like helping reduce swelling and inflammation, undergoing therapy to strengthen the area, performing drills specific to their role in their sport to see how the area holds up, and eventually getting back in action, whether it be on a full-time or part-time basis.
Mental Health Support
Yes, mental health support can help. We discussed the various examples of soft tissue injuries, and this can help with any of them.
When a player suffers any type of soft tissue injury, this can have massive implications for their career. They’re missing time and unable to showcase their talent, and it could cost them money when it’s time for their next contract.
Thus, it can sometimes be important to talk to a sports psychologist who can understand what the athlete is going through to help them cope with the variety of emotions involved with getting injured.
Long Term Care
Especially after getting injured, engaging in long-term care, even if healthy, can help with soft tissue injury prevention in the future.
These include exercises to continue strengthening the area, checking in with doctors to see how the injury is doing, taping or bracing the area, and making changes to their training and nutrition if needed. Learning how to prevent soft tissue injuries in the future could be key to a long career.
