You don’t need to be an athlete to see a Specialist Sports Physio
Choosing the right physiotherapist for your condition or injury can feel like trying to find a needle in a complicated haystack of qualifications and professional titles. With thousands of Google physiotherapists at your fingertips how do you know if the Lane Cove physio you choose is an expert in their field and best qualified to treat your specific injury? While anyone can legally call themselves a physiotherapist after studying and completing 4 years at university, there is only a small group of physiotherapists qualified enough to call themselves a specialist in their field. Think of your regular run of the mill physiotherapist as the equivalent of a General Practitioner; highly skilled and knowledgeable in a broad range of areas. Whereas a Specialist Physiotherapist has years of in depth knowledge and expertise in their practice area. At the moment there are less than 50 recognised Specialist Sports and Exercise Physiotherapists in Australia, making them some of the most sought after and respected practitioners in the country.
What is a Specialist Sports and Exercise Physiotherapist?
In this already specialised branch of physiotherapy, specialist sports and exercise physios have attained the highest level of diagnostic and clinical skills within the physiotherapy profession resulting in Fellowship of the Australian College of Physiotherapists (FACP). In short, they are experts in the management of complex sports and musculoskeletal injuries along with the prevention and evaluation of injuries resulting from sports and exercise participation at all ages and levels of ability.
The role of a Specialist Sports and Exercise Physiotherapist is varied and dependant on their areas of interest and professional ties. The ultimate goal of any specialist is to provide the best available sports and musculoskeletal injury management utilising their years of clinical experience and latest medical research, helping anyone return to their desired level of activity. It is common for doctors, health professionals and insurers to consult with or refer patients to Specialist Sports and Exercise Physiotherapists in order to create advanced diagnosis and management plans. One of the benefits of the advanced training undertaken by Specialist Sports and Exercise Physiotherapists is being qualified to provide an expert opinion for a range of chronic injuries and complex cases that have failed to respond to standard treatment.
What are the goals of specialist sports and exercise physiotherapy?
Specialist Sports physiotherapists strive to treat and completely rehabilitate any amateur or professional athlete after suffering an injury, undergoing surgery or to prevent further injury by maintaining or improving the strength, flexibility and endurance of musculoskeletal system in order to return to activity in the shortest possible time. Specialist Sports physiotherapy utilises a multi-disciplinary approach to the management of sports related injuries. Treatment involves movements, exercises and manual therapies designed to protect the injured tissues, heal and control early inflammation and pain and to improve flexibility, strength, and proprioception. In short, Specialist sports physiotherapy aims to:
- Optimise your return to daily activities and sport after suffering an injury
- Enhance your sporting technique, musculoskeletal strength and sporting performance
- Increase your muscular control, flexibility and strength
Following your initial consultation with a Specialist Sports and Exercise Physiotherapist, you will be helped to understand the nature of your injury and the steps required to treat it. A comprehensive and personalised management plan will be developed with you to help achieve an optimal recovery. Throughout your treatment your Specialist Sports and Exercise Physiotherapist will communicate with you and any coaches, physiotherapists, medical practitioners or other people involved in your recovery in order to get a the most holistic treatment possible.
Who should see a Specialist sports and exercise physiotherapist?
Anyone with an injury or looking to increase their performance. It doesn’t even need to be a sporting injury and you certainly don’t need to be a professional athlete. While your Lane Cove physio has worked with some of the best athletes in the world, most of our sports physiotherapy clients are people who play sport socially, work out alone and white collar professionals who need their body and mind to function well as part of their day job. The benefit of a Specialist Sports Physiotherapist is their ability to help you identify and correct any musculoskeletal issues that are stopping you from reaching the next level of your performance or hindering an aspect of your daily life, regardless of whether your injury is sport related or not.
By applying the principles of advanced sports physiotherapy and musculoskeletal knowledge to our bespoke management plans we get faster positive results for our patients. Whether you are an elite athlete or just trying to be more agile and pain free in everyday life we help our patients to become active and pain free again. So, if you are looking for the best physiotherapist for your pain or injury, look no further than a Specialist Sports and Exercise Physiotherapist, you may not be an elite athlete but you will certainly be treated like one.
