How sports physiotherapy is different from others, what makes this physiotherapist ‘professional of choice’

Representational image. News 18 Hindi

We’ve all sought the help of a physiotherapist for various aches, pain and injury at some point. While physiotherapy as a profession has been around for many decades, the specialty of Sports and Exercise Physiotherapy is relatively new.

Broadly, sports and exercise physiotherapists focus on the prevention and management of injury resulting from sport and exercise participation at all ages and levels of ability. Sports and exercise physiotherapists provide advice on safe participation, promoting an active lifestyle to help all individuals improve and maintain their quality of life. At the sharp end, these specialist physiotherapists also have a role in helping those involved in sport and recreational activity to enhance their performance.

Sports and exercise physiotherapists work across the spectrum of active individuals, from weekend warriors, to social and club level athletes. These physiotherapists, with advanced knowledge and skills in high performance, also work with more elite athletes, and may work and travel with individuals or sports teams, integrating their services with other medical professionals, coaches, strength and conditioning personnel and other support staff .

Within professional sport, many sports and exercise physiotherapists also work within sporting organisations to coordinate physiotherapy, injury prevention, rehabilitation and injury surveillance programmes.

Often however, the main factor that makes a sports and exercise physiotherapist the professional of choice, is the individual/athletes expectation with regards to their activity level after an injury. If a patient/athlete wants more than to merely have full range of movement and be pain free (there is nothing wrong with simply wanting these requirements, of course), they will rehabilitate with a sports and exercise physiotherapist to be able to return to sport in an improved condition. Athletes and active individuals will also likely want to prevent future injury by being better prepared for their sports demands – and these areas are where sports and exercise physiotherapists would excel.

The author is a consultant for sports and exercise medicine in Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital

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