Who needs sports therapy?

The answer: Any professional, amateur or recreational athlete can benefit from it. 

Athletes put their bodies through quite a bit of stress. Regardless of what your level of performance is, when you train and compete, you put yourself at risk for injury. In fact, medical research indicates that more than 8 million sports- and recreation-related injuries occur in the U.S. annually. 

Athletes who have been hurt value quick recovery so they can get back to doing what they do best. That’s why they should rely on physical therapists who can develop the sports therapy they need to recover faster and stronger. 

What is sports therapy?

Sports therapy is a type of physical therapy designed to help athletes in two specific ways: 

• Preventing injuries — Even the strongest athletes can develop weakness in certain muscles. They can also have problems with their form or other minor issues that increase their risk of injury. Our physical therapists can develop a therapy plan designed to address muscle weakness and other issues and reduce your risk of injury. 
• Treating sports injuries — This type of therapy is also useful for athletes who are recovering from an injury. Just letting the injury heal isn’t enough. You also have to deal with the scar tissue, muscle weakness and other issues that an injury can cause. A personalized recovery plan from our experienced physical therapists can help with these recovery obstacles.

Who can benefit from sports therapy?

All athletes can benefit from some level of sports therapy. Even if you haven’t been hurt, you can work with a physical therapist to improve your physical fitness and abilities. 

Below are a few different types of athletes and some of the reasons they may need to see a physical therapist for sports therapy:

• Football players — Football players not only deal with a lot of running, jumping and other physical feats, but they have to deal with hard impacts. They’re at risk for a wide range of injuries treatable by physical therapy. Some of these injuries include pulled muscles, anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears, sprained ankles and fractures.
• Baseball players — Baseball players can experience a lot of strain due to the need for quick bursts between the bases. Pitchers are at risk of shoulder injuries like tendinitis and strains due to the stress of throwing a ball at such high speeds.
• Soccer and basketball players — Unlike other major sports, soccer players and basketball players do not have the benefit of frequent stops between plays. These athletes run back and forth across the field and court for an entire game. This can result in a lot of strain and other injuries related to exhaustion and cutting back and forth. 
• Golfers and tennis players — From the outside, you may not think of golf or tennis as high-risk sports, but there are plenty of issues related to swinging a club or racket. Frequent use of the shoulders and muscles in these swings commonly cause tendinitis. 

Peak Performance offers effective sports therapy

Are you an athlete who has recently been injured or is at risk for injury? You should talk to a physical therapist at Peak Performance Sports and Physical Therapy for help. We offer free screenings to pinpoint issues that can lead to an injury. These screenings can also help us learn how a current injury is affecting your body. With this information, our physical therapists can build you a personalized therapy plan intended to reduce pain and the risk of future injuries. 

Not able to make it into one of our therapy clinics? Don’t worry! Our team offers virtual care sessions that you can use without leaving home. Additionally, you can begin using our therapy services without a doctor’s referral. 

Take the next step toward treating your current injury or preventing a future one. Contact us today for more information about our therapy services or to schedule your free screening.