Sports injury treatment: Why seeing a sports physical therapist is your best bet
Sports injuries are frustrating, to say the least. They can take you off the field, court, pitch, etc for an undetermined amount of time and a lot of athletes will often say that they just never felt the same after their injury.
But, here's the thing: when you have a sports injury, you don't have to just accept that "this is it" now. Seeing a sports physical therapist can truly make a world of difference in many ways, with the biggest difference being that a sports PT is trained in not only treating your injury, but also returning you to your sport and preventing future injury.
I'll be the one to say that sports PT is not the same as "regular PT", so if you're hesitant because you know that throwing a softball is a lot different than doing 2lb pink dumbbell exercises in a clinic, I'm with you, I promise you that that's the magic of seeing a sports PT- we get it and know that you need care that will help you return to your sport.
What is sports physical therapy and can physical therapy help with sports injuries?
Seeing a sports physical therapist, or a physical therapist who works exclusively with athletes and active adults, means that you're getting treatment that is designed to keep you performing, not just "existing".
While the term "sports medicine" is typically reserved for MD's (medical doctors), a sports PT focuses on treatment through a sports medicine view, rather than just a functional view (which means "can you use the bathroom? Can you get into bed?).
When we talk about performance and sports medicine, we're focused on using targeted exercise adn therapy techniques tailored to you, the athlete, which will depend on the type of injury you have, the sport you play, and the strength, performance, and mobility deficits that you have.
What's the benefit of working with a sports physical therapist?
As stated above, the benefits of physical therapy transfer over to sports PT, but with more performance and athletic goals in mind.
Sports physical therapists are here to help you:
Keep playing your sport
Prevent injuries while playing and reducing your risk for injury
Get you back to playing after an injury
Improve performance by optimizing mechanics and improving strength
...and it's all done in a sports-specific way. Because we know that a soccer player has different demands than a baseball player, a softball player has different demands than a runner, etc.
What does working with a sports PT look like?
While I can't speak for every sports PT, I can speak for what treatment looks like at my clinic, which is located in Kennewick, WA.
Each session is individualized and 1-1, which means that you're not competing for my attention with other patients and that helps us get better results in a faster amount of time.
We'll start off with a full evaluation and determine a treatment plan that is specific for you and your goals/sport.
If an injury is present, we may start with some soft tissue work to reduce pain, treatment for any pain and swelling that exists, and some therapeutic exercise to improve tissue healing, range of motion, improve flexibility, and get started on strengthening.
Over the course of treatment, we'll move toward functional training, which for athletes means sports-specific exercises and things that will help you not only get back to playing safely, but also build your confidence for returning to play and decreasing your risk for injury in the future.
What can I see a sports physical therapist for?
You can see a sports physical therapist for anything sports-related.
Here's a list of things that you can come to see me for:
Improve performance: run faster, jump higher, improve swing mechanics, decrease energy needed for throwing, run faster, improve pivoting and cutting
Improve strength according to the needs of your sport
Injury treatment
Injury prevention
Return-to-sport care after a surgery
Recovery care to maintain peak performance
What injuries do you treat as a sports physical therapist?
ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) tears/sprains
MCL (medial collateral ligament) sprains
LCL (lateral collateral ligament) sprains
ATFL (anterior talofibular ligament) sprains
Meniscal tears
Hamstring strains
Quadriceps strains
Groin (adductor) strains
Patellar tendinopathy (“jumper’s knee”, “runners knee”)
Achilles tendinopathy
Achilles tendon rupture
Hamstring tendinopathy
Iliotibial band syndrome (ITBS)
Shin splints (medial tibial stress syndrome)
Plantar fasciitis
Stress fractures (tibia, metatarsals)
Patellofemoral pain syndrome (“runner’s knee”)
Rotator cuff tendinopathy
Rotator cuff tears
Shoulder impingement
Labral tears (SLAP lesions)
AC-joint sprains (separation)
Lateral epicondylitis (“tennis elbow”)
Medial epicondylitis (“golfer’s elbow”)
Low back pain (disc-related or generalized pain)
Lumbar muscle strains
Numbness/tingling in arms or legs
Rib injuries
Cervical strains (“stingers”)
Bursitis (hip, shoulder)
Where to find a sports physical therapist in Kennewick, WA
If you’re local to the Tri-Cities area, my clinic is in Kennewick and I’d be happy to work with you. I specialize in working with athletes alike with both injury rehab and recovery care including manual therapy, dry needling, scraping, cupping, and more.
I work with lots of different types of athletes, including but not limited to: soccer players, baseball and softball players, lacrosse athletes, runners, and more.
If you’re local to the Kennewick, WA area and want to start with a personalized assessment, call me!