The field of sports physical therapy is a wide-reaching practice that works with athletes to maximize their performance in whatever sport of fitness activity they choose to engage in. Rather than simply treating injuries, sports physical therapy works toward prevention and performance enhancement in addition to the treatment and rehabilitation of injuries. Sports physical therapy is intended to be used by anyone engaging in fitness activities of any kind – from the professional athlete trying to improve their performance to the weekend-warrior simply hoping to stay healthy and fit while enjoy a sport that they love.

The easiest injury to rehabilitate is the one that never happens, so sports physical therapy places a great emphasis on prevention as part of the overall health care package. Prevention techniques include screening athletes before they participate in a sport, recommending the proper safety equipment, and designing a fitness regimen to prepare the athlete for participation in a demanding sport. Injuries are sometimes inevitable when playing sports at a competitive level, but proper sports physical therapy before an injury occurs can greatly improve your chances of staying healthy.

If an injury does occur, a sports physical therapist is the best choice to evaluating what damage has been suffered and what the best course of action may be to get back on track toward full physical health. Ideally, an injury can be treated without surgery and the patient can recover fully through non-invasive treatment and rehabilitation exercises. In cases that do require surgery, a sports physical therapist will try to find the least-traumatic method that can lead to full recovery in the shortest time period possible.

Non-invasive sports physical therapy treatments can include massage, simple exercises, ice and medication, and more. This kind of rehab is preferred to surgery because it will allow you to get back into action sooner and the collateral damage to the rest of your body is less. No matter what the specific injury, the goal with sports physical therapy is to return the body to its normal function and have no side effects that negatively impact the quality of life of the patient.

Sports physical therapy can also be used purely for improving performance on the field or the court. Instead of treating an injury, this kind of therapy will seek to improve the body function of the patient and hopefully lead to better results in any athletic pursuit. A patient seeking improved performance can have a complete body evaluation done by a sports physical therapist to locate both strengths and weaknesses in the body. Once completed, the therapist can use that information to design a training regimen that will improve on the weak areas and make the patient a better athlete overall.

Using sports physical therapy to treat injuries or improve performance is a method that can benefit any athlete, no matter what their specific goals happen to be. Sports are a great way to stay in shape and enjoy friendly competition, but only if you are healthy enough to do so. Trust in a sports physical therapist to keep you healthy and look forward to many more years of safe participation in the activities that you love.