Physiotherapy: Health Care and Professional Sports People
Physiotherapy is a health care profession which aims to enhance and restore physical ability and quality of life to those with physical impairments, injuries or disabilities. It therefore follows that sports physiotherapy is the specialized branch of physiotherapy dealing with injuries and issues related to athletes.
Individuals in this industry work with top level professional sports people as well as recreational sports players. Working with professional sports people, physiotherapists often work as part of a team with sports scientists, coaches and other healthcare professionals. Common tasks they may be involved in include: • Examining and diagnosing injuries. • Identifying the cause of an injury. • Devising an individual treatment plan. • Agreeing realistic timescales for the sportsperson to return to their sport. • Keeping accurate records of their treatment and progress. • Discussing the sportsperson's ambitions for the future.
The primary skills utilized by physiotherapists include physiologically-based movement techniques, manual therapy, therapeutic exercise and the application of electrotherapy. Some may also learn skills such as reflexology or acupuncture, so they can offer additional services to patients. The type of treatment depends on the injury and can involve using specialist medical equipment. Therefore the physiotherapist’s role involves the promotion of a healthy life style, the prevention of illness and injury for those at risk, as well as the rehabilitation and restoration of an individual's function following injury or disability. In a holistic approach, the physiotherapist’s services would be accommodated by counseling to further empower the client to improve their quality of life, overcome an injury or reach a certain goal.
The physiotherapist is trained to work in many settings as a member of the health care team. This is not only restricted sports environments and includes, among others, in patients’
Individuals in this industry work with top level professional sports people as well as recreational sports players. Working with professional sports people, physiotherapists often work as part of a team with sports scientists, coaches and other healthcare professionals. Common tasks they may be involved in include: • Examining and diagnosing injuries. • Identifying the cause of an injury. • Devising an individual treatment plan. • Agreeing realistic timescales for the sportsperson to return to their sport. • Keeping accurate records of their treatment and progress. • Discussing the sportsperson's ambitions for the future.
The primary skills utilized by physiotherapists include physiologically-based movement techniques, manual therapy, therapeutic exercise and the application of electrotherapy. Some may also learn skills such as reflexology or acupuncture, so they can offer additional services to patients. The type of treatment depends on the injury and can involve using specialist medical equipment. Therefore the physiotherapist’s role involves the promotion of a healthy life style, the prevention of illness and injury for those at risk, as well as the rehabilitation and restoration of an individual's function following injury or disability. In a holistic approach, the physiotherapist’s services would be accommodated by counseling to further empower the client to improve their quality of life, overcome an injury or reach a certain goal.
The physiotherapist is trained to work in many settings as a member of the health care team. This is not only restricted sports environments and includes, among others, in patients’