Physical Therapy For Athletes : Athletes

Ever since I was a kid, it has been my life goal to help as many people I can. I have moved around in many different areas of the medical field, but no career had caught my eye as much as physical therapy. As an athlete, I have been in and out of the physical therapist’s office for a majority of my life. Each time I have went I could not help but be beyond grateful for what these people have done for me; they have given me the ability to play the sport I love despite all the hiccups. Physical therapy is a dynamic field within the field of medicine because as a physical therapist one can make a difference in the lives of his or her patients, enjoy job security, and enjoy a rewarding and personally satisfying career.

What about physical therapy, you ask? Physical therapy, unlike an athletic trainer, is more of a one-on-one profession with the patient at hand. The definition of physical therapy, as told by the online glossary of medical terms is "the treatment of injury and disease by mechanical means, as heat, light, exercise, and massage." While athletic training is directed more towards sports than any other profession, physical therapy is open to a variety of patients, ranging all ages. You ask what is different between a physical therapist and an athletic trainer. Athletic trainers work on all types of injuries, ranging from muscles, to ligaments, and even to bones, while a physical therapist work mostly around the muscles. A physical therapist is trained to work 3 specific muscle types; the skeletal muscles, which work as voluntary muscles that works upon volitional commands to move (which means that the muscle contracts to move a certain part of the body a certain direction); smooth muscles, which are involuntary muscles that work on their own accord (much like the muscles of the bladder or intestines); and lastly we have the 3rd type of muscle, the

Physical therapy takes a more direct pathway towards a more specific problem with the human body. Physical therapy is a rehabilitation that works towards a goal of helping patients maintain, improve, or recover their physical abilities, most often times after an accident causing traumatic injury or arthritis (Mayo School of Health Sciences). Patients of a physical therapist often come in solely for the purpose of regaining their movement, not the health aspect involved behind it. Most patients of this therapist have suffered sports injuries, traumatic accidents, over even simply a problem of weakening with age such as those who suffer arthritis or other weakening of the joints and muscles. With step by step sessions focusing purely on strengthening the muscles and joints required to perform the movement functions, the patients rebuild their way from movement with pain, to no pain or suffering involved in everyday activities. When a patient begins therapy, they more or less begin with baby steps such as stretches and hydrotherapy to allow the body to relearn the movements without pain (What is Physical Therapy?). As the patient increases in strength

After years of pounding and thousands of miles as a competitive runner I have personally experienced multiple overuse injuries. My first real exposure to physical therapy was through sports. However, my interest into the field goes far beyond the athletic side. I have always been fascinated by the body. Once I started to think about body mechanics and the force put on the body; I realized how everything is connected and that the human body truly is an amazing machine.

Physical Therapy is an active, helpful career. It focuses on rehabilitation to reestablish full function and mobility to the patient. Anyone and everyone can qualify for physical therapy. Patients differ in age and race, and of course, by their illness or injury. The job involves possessing and using knowledge to diagnose the patient and establish a management plan deciding what therapy will benefit and improve the patient’s condition and averaging how long it will take to accomplish.

Has your favorite sports athlete got hurt playing your favorite sport? Well being a Sports Medical Physician could possibly be helping that person. When I got hurt this past winter, I had to go see a Physician's Assistant, which looked at my injury and diagnosed what needed to be done just like a Sports Medical Physician would do. Becoming a Sports Medical Physician may be a difficult job, with many years of hard work and college, but if you like to help athletes get into better shape to get back to their sport, then this is for you. This is why I believe going to college, training hard, and focusing on your job will help anyone to becoming a successful, high educated, and well payed, Sports Medical Physician.

In the words of Field (2007), "physical therapists develop therapies and exercise modalities to help patients ease pain, recover from injuries or illness, or regain use of body parts." The relevance of physical therapy as a health care profession cannot hence be overstated. This is more so the case given that due to injuries, accidents, old age or disabilities; individuals could at some point need intervention designed to alleviate pain, improve mobility or even restore function.

Being Sports Therapist you will work across a broad spectrum of clientele, and of course you will

Physical therapists work in various ways depending on the type of patient you're dealing with. A patient that is working to recover mobility lost after a stroke needs different care from a patient who is recovering from a sports injury. There are many types of fields

Imagine that you have torn your ACL, or your anterior crucial element ligament. An athletic trainer will help you until a doctor can be seen for X-rays. A surgeon will repair the injury. An anesthesiologist will keep you pain free throughout a procedure. After this, somebody is needed to assist in improving movement. That is what a physical therapist is for. Physical therapists, or PTs, are a crucial part of rehabilitation, treatment and prevention for patients with physical ailments. Individualized programs are developed by PTs that may follow a doctor’s referral, as well as a patient’s concerns and physical evaluation. Treatment plans can be made for individuals with sprained ankles to arthritis to neurological disorders. Physical therapy varies from patient to patient, as no two injuries are exactly the same, but the goal is always the same: a completely recovered patient.

Physical therapists provide the service of the helping of restoring muscular or nerve damage upon a living organism. They improve the functions of mobility, help relieve pain, and prevent permanent physical damage of patients with injuries or disease. Fitness and health are key to helping patients get through physical therapy. Patient problems vary from physical disabilities such as car accidents to nerve damage like arthritis. Physical therapists, or also known as PT’s, start off by viewing the patients medical history, then they test the patients strength, range of motion, posture, balance and coordination, respiration, muscle performance,

Physical therapists are members of a health care team, specially trained to improve movement and flinction, relieve pain, and expand movement potential. Through evaluation and individualized treatment programs, physical therapists can both treat existing problems and provide preventive health care for people with a variety of needs (Physical Therapy-Improving 1). Physical therapists are very knowledgeable and skillful concerning the human body. Physical therapy is a complex, but rewarding field to pursue as a career. Specialization, working conditions, job outlook, salaries, and education requirements need to be taken into consideration when contemplating a career as a physical therapist.

Physical Therapy is the treatment of disease, injury or deformity by physical methods such as massage, heat treatment, and exercise rather then by drug or surgery. Physical therapist are highly-educated, licensed health care professionals who help patients reduce the pain they have and help improve or restore their mobility. PTs work in many different setting including high schools, hospitals, outpatient Clinique, etc. To become a physical therapist I'll need a graduate degree- either a masters or clinical doctorate - from an accredited physical therapy program before taking the national licensure exam. There is currently 199 colleges and universities nationwide that support 212 accredited professions physical therapy programs.

What is a sports physical therapist? A sports physical therapist is a physical therapist who specializes in the field of sports medicine. This type of therapist is qualified to work with patients who have suffered debilitating injuries from sporting events (Thyberg). Sports physical therapists work with a number of patients with problems ranging from muscle pains to sports injuries. Their work doesn’t consist of only working with injured patients; sports physical therapists must come up with care plans, fill out paper work, and check in with their patient’s doctors for status updates. There are several components that make up the job of a sports physical therapist.

Physical therapy is the scientific physical procedures used in the treatment of patients with a disability, disease, or injury to achieve and maintain function and to prevent malfunction or deformity. One of the most important tasks that physical therapists perform is the various forms of therapeutic exercise that are used to increase strength and endurance to improve coordination and functional movement for activities of daily living and to increase and maintain range of motion (APTA History).