Sports Therapy

Definition and Description of the Sports Therapist.

* Sports Therapist: A Definition

A sports physiotherapist is a recognised professional who demonstrates advanced competencies in the promotion of safe physical activity participation, provision of advice, and adaptation of rehabilitation and training interventions, for the purposes of preventing injury, restoring optimal function, and contributing to the enhancement of sports performance, in athletes of all ages and abilities, while ensuring a high standard of professional and ethical practice..

* Sports Therapist: A Description

Sports physiotherapists are professionals who aspire to work at master’s level.

Sports physiotherapists work with athletes of all ages and abilities, at individual and group levels, to prevent injury, restore optimal function and contribute to the enhancement of sports performance, using sports-specific knowledge, skills and attitudes to achieve best clinical practice.

Sports physiotherapists are pioneers in their field, critically challenging and evaluating practice, developing new knowledge through research, and disseminating this understanding to initiate changes in practice.In their role as a professional leader, sports physiotherapists influence their professional and multidisciplinary cultures by keeping up to date with new innovations, incorporating them into education, and creating a professional environment that enables the implementation of best practice. They aim to promote safe participation in physical activity, and the sports physiotherapy profession, to the wider community and facilitate international mobility of therapists through education and practice.

Sports Physiotherapists incorporate knowledge and understanding of innovations into the roles they play as advisors at several levels – as case managers (micro level), in service delivery (meso level), and in their influences on policy change (macro level).

At the heart of sports physiotherapists’ thinking and behaviour lies understanding of and sensitivity towards the implications of injury for the

athlete and the impact on others around them. They maintain independence in their decision-making, ensuring their duty of care to the athlete in a context of many potential conflicts of interest.

What does a Sports Therapist do?

Sports physiotherapists diagnose and treat sports injuries, help individuals to get better and advise them on how to avoid similar injuries in the future. Their work includes examining and diagnosing injuries, identifying the cause of an injury and devising an individual treatment plan, Their skills include manual therapy, therapeutic exercise and the application of electrotherapy. They often have to deal with people who are in pain and frustrated as a result of their injuries, so they need practical counselling skills, together with patience and tact.

A Sports Therapist needs:

Excellent communication skills.
The ability to explain clearly to patients how to carry out exercises.
To be good with their hands to carry out some treatments.
Motivational skills to encourage clients to persevere with treatment and therapy.
Give advice on how to train and compete safely
Treat injuries using techniques such as massage and electrotherapy
Provide first aid during matches and competitions
Develop rehabilitation programmes
Keep accurate and confidential records of treatment.

A Sports Therapist is a practitioner who:

Has the knowledge and ability to provide first aid and attend to injuries in a recreational, training and competitive environment.
Has the knowledge and ability to assess and, where appropriate, refer on for specialist advice and intervention.
Has the knowledge and ability to provide sports massage pre and post activity.
Has the knowledge and ability to implement appropriate rehabilitation programmes.
Has the knowledge to utilise sports and exercise principles to optimise preparation and injury prevention programmes.

Photo's where a Sports Therapist has to deal with.

The definition of a sports Therapist by the IOC