What is Sports Therapy?

This blog about Sports Therapy will give you a better understanding of the history of Sports Therapy, what their job entails and whether or not Sports Therapy can help you.

History of Sports Therapy

The history of Sports Therapy trace back to the ancient Greek and Roman era of the 5th century where they undertook physical activity for Sport and Military training. With time they started to recognise the importance of multidisciplinary therapies such as sports science, physiotherapy, and exercise physiology to address injuries to ensure they were ready to fight as quickly as possible.

However, it wasn’t until the 20th century that Sports Therapy began to take shape as a distinct discipline. With the increase of organised sport and the importance of physical fitness, the need for specialised care for athletes became apparent. Over time, Sports Therapy evolved and started to incorporate principles from fields such as physiotherapy, exercise physiology and sports science.

Understanding Sports Therapy

Sports Therapy is a healthcare field that focuses on injury treatment, prevention, and rehabilitation of the musculoskeletal system of predominantly sporting injuries but also helping those with non-related sporting injuries. Sports Therapists use a combination of hands-on treatment and exercise rehabilitation to help individuals return to their ‘full function’.

Sports Therapists specialise in the musculoskeletal system and diagnose and treat a range of conditions. The most common injuries include sprains, strains, tendon injuries, fractures, arthritis, bursitis, muscle imbalances, joint pain and stiffness. They use a variety of techniques including joint mobilisation, stretching, sports massage and kinesiology taping along with rehabilitation that will help with flexibility, strength, balance and co-ordination.

Can Sports Therapy help you?

In short, yes! Anyone can benefit from a Sports Therapy session for e.g. those who are experiencing muscular tightness, joint stiffness, a ‘niggle’ that won’t go away, a sporting injury or those who want to prevent an injury from occurring. A common phrase we go by is 'Prevention is better than cure' and that can start with booking a 30 or 60 min appointment which will involve creating an individualised plan based on what you want to achieve which will fit into your current lifestyle.

Benefits of Sports Therapy

The main benefits of Sports Therapy include:

Improved circulation
Reduced tension
Increased flexibility
Improved range of motion
Improved recovery
Enhanced relaxation & sleep
Reduces scar tissue
Improved strength, balance & co-ordination

Posted on 11.10.2024