Sports Physiotherapy is a branch of physiotherapy that deals with injuries and problems related to a sportsman. The challenges of an athlete are dealing with ache and pain, that can be overcome by physiotherapy. Athletes suffer from pain due to “wear and tear” or due to a sports injury. Sports injuries are different from the other regular injuries. A sportsperson is expected to have high-level performance that stresses their joints, muscles, and bones.
Most sports injuries benefit from physiotherapy; it involves the treatment of injury by a professional.
A sports physiotherapist not only helps the athlete to recover from sporting injuries but also provides education to prevent problems. Sports physiotherapist have sport-specific knowledge to address chronic, acute, and overuse injuries; they treat sportsmen and women of all ages at any level of competition. The athletes are advised a physiotherapy program after sustaining injuries to aid the recovery.
Things kept in mind by a Sports Physiotherapist:
A sport physiotherapist is trained to prevent and manage injuries caused by sport and exercise. It is done by maintaining, developing and restoring movement and functional ability in the patients. The main focuses are prevention of injury, restoration of optimal function, and contribution to enhancing the performance.
- Prevention:It includes focus on manage risk around the injury. Information on the sport and medical history of an athlete helps to design strategies to reduce the risk of an injury.
- Restoration/ Recovery: Clinical evaluation, diagnosis and treatment plan are done according to the goals of the athlete.
- Enhancement of Performance: A sport physiotherapist can help to develop strategies and enhance the athlete’s physical capacity.
- Advisory Capacity: Sport physiotherapists can support athletes by promoting healthy and safe activity. They can work with sport organizations to design a detailed medical support system for all types of sport.
Additionally, treatment by a physiotherapist ensures that the treatment happens according to the sport played. Regardless of the sport one plays or the level of fitness, physiotherapy enhances the potential for success.
The treatment of an athlete includes control of movement, exercise functional rehabilitation and mobilization. If one pushes the body to its limits, it stresses and pressurizes the joints and muscles. Updated sentence with anchor: For the prevention of injury and to ensure the best physical form in a competition, regular visits to a physiotherapist like Infinite Health are needed. The body of an athlete is like a machine, it gives best performance if maintained properly.
Goals of Sports Physiotherapy:
The goals of sports physiotherapy and rehabilitation include:
- Planning exercises to help athletes to return to pre-injury function condition.
- Customized exercise prescription to improve the restrictions of mobility.
- Methods to prevent injury and diagnose injury if any.
- It helps in achieving maximum performance.
- It monitors the athlete.
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Modalities followed by Sports Physiotherapists:
The goal is to improve comfort by preventative care, rehabilitation, and non-invasive treatments. It can be done by following the modalities mentioned below:
- Application of Hot packs: Hot pack is applied if the area surrounding the injury is not swollen. It is a common procedure followed by many physiotherapists. It is effective because it alleviates the pain and stiffness in joints or muscles.
- Application of Ice packs: Ice pack is applied as a starting procedure to deal with an injury. It reduces swelling and pain caused by the injury.
- Ultrasound: It involves penetration of sound vibrations in the tissues; it heats bulky body areas and help in the process of healing.
- TENS: It is an acronym for Trans-cutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulator. It involves treatment using a small battery-operated device that directs a small amount of current in the skin or the area around the injury, it is effective for pain relief.
- Range of motion exercises or ROM exercises: These are helpful to improve and maintain the range of motion of joints.
- Stretching and Massage: These are the basic and standard techniques in physiotherapy; they help the muscles to loosen or relax them and reduces the adhesions in the tissue resulting in the decrease of the swelling.
- Strengthening exercises: Inactivity after injury weakens the muscle; strengthening exercises help to repair and maintain the strength of the muscles.
Bottom line:
To continue to have a full range motion, to prevent injuries, and have the strength to win gold medals, athletes are treated by physiotherapists, who help in preventing or treating injuries and reducing the recovery time.
Regardless of the level of athleticism, it is vital to make regular appointments with the physiotherapist to maintain physical health and prevent damage to the body.
FAQs:
- Why is physiotherapy important in sports?
Physiotherapists make use of physical activities to heal the injuries, prevent them in the first place and provide long-time wellness. - Where do sports physiotherapists work?
Sports physiotherapists can have their private clinic; they are also appointed by sports organizations.