One Major Way to Treat and Prevent Sports Injuries

The Importance Of Physical Therapy In Athletic Training

Every athlete knows that feeling oftentimes accompanying pain. It’s the feeling of frustration, worry, and – let’s just say it – doom. Doom that you’ll be out for the rest of the season, or worse that your sports career is over. It’s a feeling that every athlete dreads and, more importantly, tries to avoid.

But how can you avoid an injury? And, if you’ve sustained a sports-related injury, how do you bounce back and quickly?

Using a treatment program that has been tailored specifically for athletes will not only help you recover from any injury, but will also help prevent future injuries.

Exercise-based therapy is an important part of athletic training.

Whether you’re currently injured, recovering from an injury, or looking to prevent future injuries, physical therapy plays an important role in athletic training. Exercise-based therapy focuses on strengthening the areas of the body that are either weak or are more prone to injuries. Physical therapy that incorporates strengthening exercises not only helps in the rehabilitation process from sports-related injuries, but can also help in injury-prevention.

Therapy that focuses on strengthening muscles so that they’re able to support the body to the best of its ability is the goal for exercise-based therapy. In fact, it’s the best way to be prepared. Many times, certified athletic trainers will work closely with physical therapists to achieve the best results in preventing or rehabilitating injuries.

At OSR Physical Therapy, Kyle McCuskey is an athletic trainer of three years who works closely with physical therapists to rehabilitate patients and prevent future injuries.

Kyle McCuskey, athletic trainer for OSR Physical Therapy

“A new patient goes through the consult and initial evaluation with a physical therapist and then we work together for the remainder of the rehab,” says McCuskey. “We assign exercises, working with each patient on an individual level so that they can return to their sport or return to their daily life.”

 

Certified athletic trainers are trained to recognize potential injuries.

Both physical therapists and certified athletic trainers work to pinpoint areas of weakness on the body of each individual athlete. Once those areas are identified, they work together with the athlete and, many times, even the coaches to strengthen and prevent injury.

Not only do they focus on strengthening, but proper body form with movements, such as jumping, are taken into account to provide a complete picture of where the athlete is more prone to injury. Both athletic trainers and physical therapists will analyze the angles of the body while moving, making sure the biomechanics are able to support the body in the best way possible.

After evaluating and analyzing the movements, sometimes even using video analysis, they work together to determine the muscle weaknesses and the best way to strengthen those injury-prone areas. However, since each body is different, it’s important to have an athletic trainer or physical therapist that recognizes the importance of an individualized training program.

OSR Physical Therapy offers individualized sports-centered programs.

At OSR Physical Therapy, athletic trainers and physical therapists work closely together to build an individualized therapy and training program for each athlete. They also work closely with coaches, offering programs that focus on evaluation and strengthening before the season.

Contact OSR today if you’re interested in our athletic training programs.