4 Reasons Athletes Need Regular Physiotherapy Treatment
Whether you’re an athlete who is competing at the highest level, or you’re an avid weekend warrior who is looking to reach peak physical performance, regular physiotherapy treatment plays a key role in keeping you on the field or on the track in the long run.
Sports and exercise physiotherapists are tasked with helping athletes to mitigate injury risk and promote better performance through a variety of approaches that include massage therapy, exercise prescription, injury prevention education and exercises, and advice on treating soreness and niggles along the way.
In this article, we’ll take a look at four reasons why athletes seeking peak performance must prioritise regular sports physiotherapy treatment and the role that it plays in their long-term success as an athlete.
Table of contents
Injury prevention
When it comes to having an injury, prevention is always better. Sadly, for many athletes, the only time that they pay a visit to a physiotherapist is when an injury has already presented itself in the form of a mild niggle or debilitating pain that has relegated them to the sidelines.
When it comes to preventing injuries, sports physiotherapists play a pivotal role for athletes at all levels. Together, sports physiotherapists work side-by-side with athletes to develop personalised injury prevention and risk mitigation measures that are specific to the athlete.
Over the course of a long-term relationship, physiotherapists can effectively identify patterns in the athlete to understand how their body responds and what measures can be employed to avoid injuries before they become a problem. Some of the techniques employed by physiotherapists to prevent injuries include:
- Physical assessment and screening to identify potential risks and imbalances in muscles or movement can lead to injuries over time.
- Specific exercise programs that are geared towards preventative strengthening. Using the insights of a screening, physios can prescribe a course of strengthening exercises that effectively address any imbalances in movement.
Enhanced recovery
When it comes to athlete performance, many believe that the key to gains comes in the form of more training, whilst also neglecting the acute need of the body to recover and absorb training.
For many athletes, a coach and other advisors are in place to hold them back and warn them when they are flying too close to the sun. The relationship between fatigue, recovery, and injury has been a well-documented topic in sports science circles for years.
Through regular treatment, physiotherapists are able to diagnose any potential changes to the athlete’s body, movement, or range of motion that may require special attention in the form of more recovery. In addition, physiotherapists can help to prescribe recovery techniques such as ice baths, cryotherapy, hot and cold treatment, and massage that effectively loosens muscles and promote faster recovery.
Strength & flexibility
Physiotherapists play an important role in helping athletes to understand the relationship between mobility, flexibility, strength, and peak performance.
For athletes, flexibility plays a crucial role in generating more power and speed through movement, improving overall coordination and control across a range of different activities, and mitigating injuries on and off the field.
On the flip side of the equation, strength training prescribed by physiotherapists can effectively address deficiencies in the athlete’s movement that, when left untreated, can compromise performance and lead to injuries. Physiotherapists can prescribe a range of strengthening exercises (inside the gym and out) that target the specific needs of the athlete for improved performance and longevity.
Peak performance
Physiotherapy can help athletes achieve peak performance by effectively identifying risks and providing guidance on recovery and strengthening exercises tailored towards the individual. Sport-specific advice on conditioning and techniques can help to improve movement patterns, enhance core stability, improve breathing patterns, and ensure that an athlete can perform at the highest level when it counts.
Physiotherapists help athletes to better understand their bodies and effectively identify manageable issues before they become big, side-line relegating ones. From load optimisation to periodisation of training based on the needs of the athlete, quality treatment and education from sports physiotherapists can help athletes reach peak performance and avoid the common mistakes that occur along the way.