There is no doubt that sporting activities are rampant at applying pressure on muscles. As such, this often leads to various injuries across different muscles and even the spinal cord. Luckily all these injuries are easy to avoid, with the help of a good sports physiotherapist. On the other hand, not all is as easy as it sounds since the mention of a sports and spine physiotherapist is a source of mixed fillings for many. So, to help with is, here is an article on the role of the sports and spine physiotherapist.
Roles of a sports physiotherapist
The role of most sports physiotherapists is mostly misunderstood to injury diagnosis. However, this is not the case since a good physiotherapist serves to assist, diagnose, and treat athletes with physical problems. Here is a list of roles of a sports physiotherapist:
- Prepare athletes mentally and physically.
- Advice athletes on the various stretching and warming exercises, thus avoiding muscle strain or tear.
- Generate athlete reports based on their recovery progress.
- Offer muscle massages and providing muscle support with the use of tapes and straps.
- Offer first aid when called upon.
- Injury diagnosis and prevention.
- Aid athletes in unlocking their performance potential.
- Rehabilitation of athletes back into fitness.
Qualities of a good sports physiotherapist
A good sports physiotherapist is only as good as the personality and the skills they display. He/she should have the following character traits
- Must have an interest in clients well being.
- Must establish a good relationship with his/her patients.
- A good therapist must work under pressure and meet schedules on time.
Examples of common sports injuries
- Joint sprains: Joint sprains can occur along joints such as ankles, knees, fingers, and even shoulders.
- Muscle strains: Muscle strains occur when muscle tissues are over-stretched. As a result, this may result in hamstring injuries, calf injuries, and quadriceps.
- Tendon injuries: Tendons are connective tissues that connect the muscles to the bones. Tendon injuries occur when a tendon is torn or worn out. As such, it may lead to injuries on the Achilles, and the patella.
- Bone injuries occur when a bone is fractured or overused, thereby causing injuries such as shin splint injuries or even a compression. Note that sustaining a bone is as easy as any other injury in sports.
- The last type of injury can occur during rehabilitation from surgery and can occur on the knee, shoulder, and ankle.
Sports and spine physiotherapy treatment techniques
Sports physiotherapy treatment uses various techniques to help in their quest for physical fitness. These include the use of:
- Massage: Most sports therapist work their magic using massages to help reduce muscle tension and help in blood circulation on the respective tissues.
- Use of Ice and ultrasound: Ice is applied for 15 minutes on damaged muscles, thus reducing inflammation. Ultrasound works its magic the same way as Icing; the only difference is that this method uses heat to improve blood circulation.
- Stretching: Surprisingly, a guided stretch from your physiotherapist helps to unlock muscles, thus increasing range of motion.
- Use off tappings to support muscles.
The bottom line
As seen above, various types of injuries can affect any athlete. Luckily, finding a good sport and spinal physiotherapy will reduce your chances of injury on the field. To spice things up, sports physiotherapists perform their practices based on biological research and backed by successful practice. So, if you ever incur such an injury, then you should call 9144-1510 now to schedule an appointment with one of our physiotherapists.
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