POST-SURGICAL REHABILITATION

Often, Sports Therapists work with post-surgical athletes to help them recover their strength, range of motion, and activities of daily living. To accomplish this, Sports Therapy Specialists use techniques such as:

• Manual Therapy (specialized hands-on techniques to facilitate movement, and functional control)
  
• Therapeutic Exercise – from active range of motion (simply working against gravity), to advanced resistance protocols, sports therapists help an athlete recover the necessary strength to compete in their given sport.
  
• Heat, ice, taping techniques, and electrical stimulation
  
• Functional Retraining – all sports require specialized balance, movement patterns, and dynamic flexibility and stability. Sports Therapy includes retraining the athlete in their given area of interest or excellence. Examples include helping pitchers recover their throwing mechanics. Assisting football players in cutting, catching, throwing, and backpedaling. Helping basketball players recover the jumping, shuffling, and shooting mechanics.
  
• Dynamic Strength & Endurance Training – most sports require endurance, balance, and short bursts of intense strength output. In the later stages of rehabilitation of athletes, sports therapists transition players to advanced conditioning programs that closely replicate their experience on the court or playing field.
  

PREVENTION

Sports Therapists often provide interventions and recommendations to assist athletes with the prevention. This may include pre-participation evaluations, equipment advice, conditioning programs (e.g. ACL injury prevention) and cardiorespiratory conditioning programs that are constructed to assist athletes in a safe transition back to their sport.