Physical therapists help people recover from injuries and return, free of pain, to their functional daily activities. Therapists working with professional and recreational athletes have a more challenging task. They help athletes heal their injuries, and prepare them to return to their sport. Many work with athletic teams and organizations.
Treatment Continuum
Physical therapists work in accordance with a doctor's evaluation of the athlete's injury, the prognosis and the recommended treatment. If the athlete's coach, or athletic trainer, if available, witnessed the accident, he gives the doctor a full report on the mechanics of the injury. The doctor administers the appropriate tests, then decides whether the athlete requires surgery, or whether physical therapy suffices as treatment. Once she makes her decision, the physician contacts the physical therapist, and gives him a complete report on the nature of the injury.
Movement Education
In addition to the anatomy, physiology, kinesiology and motor learning courses required of all physical therapy degrees, a sports physical therapist most have an in-depth knowledge of the movement dynamics of specific sports. This illustrates the importance of detailed accident reports. The mechanism of the injury offers clues about possible muscle imbalances or postural alignment issues that made the athlete susceptible to the specific injury, and the therapeutic plan involves healing the injury, evaluating the athlete's posture, muscle imbalances and possible equipment issues, and designing a detailed injury prevention program.
General vs. Sport Therapy
Two people walk into a physical therapy clinic. The non-athlete sprained his ankle stepping off a curb. The athlete sprained hers during a professional volleyball game. Both patients require balance and proprioception exercises, which train the body to sense and accommodate its position in space. If the volleyball player wants to continue her sport, she requires a more aggressive treatment approach. The therapist may have both patients stand on one leg and maintain balance with their eyes closed. She will progress the training by having them perform the exercise on a balance board. The volleyball player also requires agility, which is the body's ability to react to stimuli without losing balance or alignment. To accommodate her needs, the therapist may have her stand on a balance board and catch a medicine ball.
Types of Exercise
Strength training programs include open and closed chain exercises. Open chain exercises, such as the leg extension machine, place the limbs in a free position. In contrast, closed chain exercises, such as the squat or pushup, keep the hands or feet in a weight-bearing position. Since most athletic activities involve closed-chain movements, physical therapists usually use closed chain exercises when treating athletes, explain the therapists at Recovery Physical Therapy.
Plyometrics
Plyometric exercise also plays a key role in sports-related physical therapy, says Terese L. Chmielewski, PT, PhD, in a 2006 article featured in the "Journal of Orthpaedic & Sports Physical Therapy." This type of exercise begins with a muscle-tendon lengthening movement. A quick, dynamic muscle-tendon shortening movement immediately follows. Jumping down from an elevated box and landing with your knees bent is a lower-body plyometric example. Physical therapists use this exercise to strengthen the hamstrings and teach correct landing techniques to athletes suffering from knee injuries. Throwing athletes use upper body plyometrics, which may involve throwing a weighted ball against a wall and catching it on the rebound.
References
- Education Portal: Sports Medicine Therapist: Job Description, Duties and Requirements
- Recovery PT: Strengthening the Kinetic Chain
- "Journal of Orthpaedic & Sports Physical Therapy"; Plyometric Exercise in the Rehabilitation of Athletes: Physiological Responses and Clinical Application; Terese L. Chmielewski, PT, PhD ; May 2006
- "Journal of Athletic Training"; Functional Plyometric Exercises for the Throwing Athlete; David J Pezullo; March 2006
