With any sport comes the risk of sports-related injury. Although new regulations and procedures have been developed over the years to prevent damage from being done to players, injuries are sometimes impossible to avoid. The effectiveness of physical therapy and rehabilitation is never guaranteed and many question whether or not players should return to their game after serious injury occurs.

Some claim that as long as athletes follow the proper guidelines for preventing re-injury, such as staying in shape, noticing early signs of injury, and participating in physical therapy, they can avoid future harm to their bodies. It is also believed that post-rehabilitation reoccurrences decrease after treatment targeted towards the damaged area.

Another side of the argument is concerned that multiple occasions of re-injury can cause major difficulties when athletes try returning to their sports. Some common sports injuries such as concussions are more likely to occur after an athlete receives a previous concussion. Often times when serious damage is done to ligaments, muscles, or bones athletes continue to play but their actions are abnormal compared to those athlete who were not injured.

At stake are the careers of many previously injured athletes. Some injuries, those involving the brain and the spine, are sometimes so severe that they lead to death or permanent brain damage. If players continues to re-injure themselves in their sports it could eventually lead to their retirement. Many times, athletes suffer painful symptoms of their injuries for the rest of their lives.

It is a constant effort to develop new medical procedures that can better protect athletes from re-injury. Many new developments have caused sports related injuries and deaths to decline over the years. Also, coaches are becoming better educated on the benefits of proper conditioning and how it can help prevent injuries.