Physiotherapy and sports medicine are two professions that are inextricably linked. When you hear of a professional athlete tearing a ligament or breaking a bone, physiotherapists are their first port of call on the road to recovery. However, it’s not just the treatment of injuries that is important to athletes and physiotherapists. Physiotherapy has a huge number of benefits for both amateur and professional athletes. Physio can help high-performance athletes to stay healthy, avoid injury and improve their performance.
If you are a professional athlete, your body is your greatest asset. As such, you need to monitor it, maintain it and care for it. The same way that cars need mechanics, athletes need physiotherapists.
The importance of physiotherapy
A physiotherapist is a health professional who can help you with all aspects of your physical health. They can help you stay injury-free or treat an injury and get back to full fitness. They use techniques like massage, dry needling, ultrasound and exercise to help the body heal itself.
Physiotherapists are also pretty good at working out how to prevent injuries from happening in the first place. In other words, they’re not just there for when things go wrong. Because of their training, physios understand how the human body works and how to make it work better. This can mean helping you understand what exercises will improve your performance. Showing you stretches or techniques that will reduce the risk of injury during training and performance.
And if something does go wrong, physios can assess the area and come up with a plan on the spot. While they might have to refer you elsewhere for further treatment or scans, they will be able to make recommendations based on their extensive experience with injuries just like yours.
The long-term benefits of incorporating physiotherapy into your training program include:
1. Injury prevention
Physical therapy is an excellent resource for preventing injuries in athletes, especially those who are in the beginning stages of training. The first step is doing a body assessment. Your therapist will determine what your physical condition is and evaluate any areas that may be prone to injury. An individualized program will then be developed that will improve your strength, flexibility, endurance, and overall conditioning while targeting any problem areas you may have.
Physical therapy is an excellent resource for preventing injuries in athletes. Especially those who are in the beginning stages of training. The first step is doing a body assessment. Your therapist will determine what your physical condition is and evaluate any areas that may be prone to injury. An individualized program will then be developed that will improve your strength, flexibility, endurance, and overall conditioning while targeting any problem areas you may have.
2. Recovery from Injury
Physical therapy helps athletes recover from and treat injuries that occur during practice or performance in games. This kind of treatment is essential for an athlete’s recovery because it evaluates the extent of the injury and creates a plan to eliminate pain and regain strength, range of motion, endurance, coordination, and balance.
Playing competitive sports requires a great deal of hard work which often leads to aches and pains after competition or practice sessions. Time spent recovering properly will allow the athlete to perform at their highest potential again in the shortest amount of time possible. Revive Physiotherapy can assist with this by providing modalities like ultrasound, electrical stimulation, or ice packs to reduce inflammation as well as stretching tight muscles or strengthening weak muscles if needed.
3. Performance Enhancement
Athletes can increase their performance by increasing muscle activation (and decreasing muscle inhibition), improving balance, posture, coordination, and overall flexibility. Physical Therapists can also help with sport-specific training, such as power/explosiveness for throwing or swinging motions and agility/quickness for cutting movements.
Athletes usually have tight muscles that can cause weak areas which lead to injury. A physical therapist can give athletes various exercises to stretch and strengthen those muscles. This helps athletes improve their flexibility and muscle control, as well as increase their range of motion.
We all know how important it is to be able to perform at a high level consistently throughout your athletic season. The ability to run faster, throw harder and jump higher relies on a full range of motion in your joints. One way physical therapy can help athletes reach their full potential is by improving the range of motion in joints that may have become restricted from overuse or injury. Through manual therapy techniques such as soft tissue mobilization and stretching. We can help athletes improve their overall range of motion without having to take time off from their sport.
4. Staying Healthy
Any athlete knows that staying healthy is an integral part of being able to perform at peak levels. It’s crucial that athletes maintain proper strength and flexibility while they train, and are able to recover quickly after workouts. A physical therapist can design specific programs that will help each athlete through strength training, proper stretching techniques, and quick recovery strategies.
When you get injured, and even when you’re not, it can be hard to find time to go to the doctor. Many people have busy schedules with work, school, and other obligations that take up a large portion of their day. Some people may just not have a doctor nearby and need to travel a long distance for an appointment. Sometimes, even if you are able to make an appointment, it still isn’t enough. You may come out feeling like something is still wrong.
It’s important to remember that physical therapy is a valuable resource for those who need it. It allows patients to get personalized attention from trained professionals who know how to treat specific issues. The goal of treatment should always be improvement in function, not just symptom relief. Physical therapists also provide education about prevention techniques so that patients can continue their recovery at home. Without needing additional services.
5. Physiotherapists take a ‘whole body’ approach to wellness
In addition to treating pain and injuries, physiotherapists also focus on prevention. They work with athletes to improve strength and flexibility throughout the entire body — not just the injured area — which reduces tension in the muscles and improves overall performance. By correcting any imbalances or weaknesses, they make it much less likely that an athlete will get injured again or develop a new injury in the future. In addition, physiotherapy has a direct effect on reducing stress and anxiety. It has a very positive effect on mental health.
When you think of physical therapy, you probably think of injured athletes working to get back on the field. While this is true, physical therapy can be beneficial for all types of athletes, from weekend warriors to professional players. This means that if you are a professional athlete, or even a pro-amateur, physical therapy should be a part of your regular fitness routine.
