Sports Therapy

Sports therapy and rehabilitation, or SPT&R, is a branch of the medical profession that works with active people to facilitate recovery from injury and prevention of future injuries related to sports and exercise.

After an injury, your doctor may refer you to a physical therapist (PT) for rehabilitation. Physical therapy is part of a team approach for rehabilitating and strengthening injured muscles, tendons, joints and bones. PTs work with athletes who have sustained soft tissue injuries such as sprains and strains that have caused pain or loss of function. They can also help athletes recover from general fatigue caused by overuse injuries such as tendinitis or bursitis or those due to repetitive motions performed during sports training sessions.

The two most important aspects of sports therapy are injury prevention and rehabilitation. According to a survey by Sports Health, nearly 90 percent of competitive athletes reported having experienced an injury in their lifetime. Of those who said they had suffered an injury, more than 75 percent said it occurred during competition. Athletes can increase their chances of staying healthy by performing strength and conditioning exercises as part of a training regimen. For example, a repetitive strain injury like tennis elbow might require an aggressive approach—such as surgery—when it first happens. But if you give it time to heal and then work with a sports therapist afterward, your chances of getting back in shape improve dramatically.

The most common injuries treated by PT include: rotator cuff disorders, knee and ankle ligament sprains/strains, hamstring muscle strain and Achilles tendon disorders. During treatment sessions with a physical therapist, patients are taught proper exercise techniques to treat their specific condition. Patients learn how to exercise safely while under supervision of their PT; they are then expected to continue exercises on their own after leaving their physical therapy clinic in order to continue healing successfully.

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