Benefits of Physical Therapy for Athletes
Updated: Apr 28, 2023
A sports injury can significantly impact a person's career and health, whether they're a professional athlete or enjoy sports as a hobby.
Physical therapy for athletes is one of the best ways to recover from various strains and sprains, meniscus tears, rotator cuff injuries, muscle tears, and other injuries safely and quickly.
A custom physical therapy program helps promote healing, increase strength, function, and range of motion, prevent future injury, and improve performance.
With such modalities as massage, electrical stimulation, dry needling, and others, physical therapy for athletes is a fantastic tool for recovery, optimizing performance, and achieving better results.
What are the Benefits of Physical Therapy for Athletes?
Physical therapy for athletes can be used for any area of the body, from the spine to the hips to the legs and feet.
Various modalities are employed to reduce pain, swelling, inflammation, and weakness after an injury, improve flexibility and strength, increase circulation, and improve athletic performance.
It's essential to immediately see a therapist after noticing symptoms such as soreness, tightness, or decreased performance to resolve the condition before it worsens.
Those who focus on maximizing their performance also should work with a physical therapist to reduce the chances of an injury and improve body mechanics.
Injury Prevention
Injury can end a professional athlete's career, so doing everything possible to prevent it is essential. Physical therapists for athletes can help them prevent injuries by addressing muscle imbalances, improving flexibility, and correcting faulty movement patterns.
Of course, sports amateurs can also highly benefit from physical therapy to protect their bodies and maximize performance.
Physical therapy for athletes helps prepare the body for intense activity by working on strength, mobility, and alignment so it resists potential injury. It's helpful for everyone, whether they do HIIT, running, Crossfit, or other activities.
A therapist also educates their patients on how injuries happen and how to avoid them and help build strength and increase range of motion and endurance.
Knowing how to move and alight the body during training and exercise helps athletes enhance performance, understand their limits and reduce the chance of injuries.
Improved Performance
One of the benefits of physical therapy for athletes is that it can enhance their performance by optimizing their biomechanics, increasing strength and endurance, and improving neuromuscular control.
Besides reducing the chance of injury that limits training time and participation in competitions, physical therapy also maximizes physical performance, which helps achieve goals.
Besides using different therapeutic modalities, physical therapy for professional athletes focuses on the proper movement and alignment of the body and maintaining its mobility.
Improving endurance, coordination, agility, balance, flexibility, and strength by identifying deficiencies and working to correct them is essential for improved performance.
Professional therapists understand anatomy and the relationship between all body parts, e.g., how the spine and legs, and arms should work to improve such activities as running, jumping, throwing, etc., which makes them invaluable for all athletes.
Enhanced Recovery
While most athletes want to return to training as soon as possible, it's essential to entirely recover from every injury, even the smallest one.
Unaddressed injuries can develop into severe issues and chronic pain down the road, so ignoring them is not advised.
Physical therapy for athletes can expedite recovery by promoting tissue healing, reducing pain and inflammation, and restoring function through rehabilitation exercises.
After identifying the exact issue, the therapist creates a custom comprehensive recovery plan. They will use various modalities and exercises to reduce pain, inflammation, and swelling, restore mobility and flexibility, and rebuild strength.
Following such a program will help the body return to its pre-injury state and regular training.
Rehabilitation Techniques
Physical therapists work closely with the athlete to correctly diagnose and identify the issues in order to create a thorough and effective recovery plan.
The rehabilitation usually includes multiple techniques for the best results.
Manual therapy (usually massages) helps reduce muscle tension and pain, improve circulation, and encourage healing.
Electrical stimulation helps reduce pain as well as develop muscle memory after an injury so it can operate fully again.
Hot and cold therapy is used to reduce stiffness, tightness, and pain. It helps relax muscles, speeds up recovery, decreases inflammation, and improves circulation.
Passive and active exercises such as stretching, balance, weight training, walking, swimming, and cycling help rebuild strength, mobility, function, and stability. These are performed with the therapist and by the patient alone.
Ultrasound therapy treats sprains and strains, encourages healing, and helps manage pain.
Dry needling uses needles and trigger points for pain relief, helps reduce muscle tightness, pain, and spasms, and improves recovery.
Importance of Professional Guidance
While some athletes avoid working with a professional hoping their injury will "work itself out," it's a mistake as this could lead to further complications.
Working with a qualified physical therapist, like the ones in Miracle Rehab Clinic locations, who will tailor a treatment plan that meets an athlete's unique needs and goals is essential.
A professional will evaluate not only the injury but also the overall condition of the body, the causes of the injury, and how a particular athletic activity has contributed to it.
They will also be able to determine what modalities can help recovery and improve performance.
Qualified therapists use their training and experience to tailor the recovery plan, monitor progress, and adjust as needed.
How Long Does it Take for Physical Therapy to Work?
As every person and injury is different, the recovery time differs too.
After examination and evaluation, the therapist will create a treatment plan and estimate the recovery period.
It can take 4-6 weeks to recover from minor injuries; however, more severe injuries might require 4-6 months.
To ensure the best recovery chances and the least time lost from the athletic activity, working closely with the therapist and following their guidance is essential.
Final Thoughts
Physical therapy for athletes is essential in treating injuries, promoting recovery, and increasing performance.
Various modalities, such as massage, electric stimulation, and heat and cold, help reduce pain and inflammation and increase strength, flexibility, and function.
Physical therapy helps professional and amateur athletes address such injuries as muscle sprains, strains, and tears and return to activity as soon as possible.
It also helps teach proper body mechanics to reduce the chance of injury and optimize performance.
It's essential to see a professional as soon as the injury occurs, as delaying it can cause chronic pain and other issues. Contact Miracle Rehab Clinic and book your appointment today!
