Road to Recovery: The Role of a Sports Physiotherapist

Australia is a nation that loves sports. Every year, millions of Australians participate in sport and physical recreation activities for numerous reasons, including competition, enjoyment, and commuting. This distinction leads to Australia being infamous for sports-related injuries. Enter the sports physiotherapist.

High contact sports like Rugby, Motorsports, and roller sports have the highest rate of injuries per 100,000 participants. Males were more than twice as likely to be hospitalized compared to females. The number of injuries has led to more people turning to Sports Physiotherapist in Sydney. Sydney also houses numerous outlets that do not even require a doctor's referral for an appointment with the Physiotherapist.

While different injuries can occur when taking part in sport, some happen more commonly across the country than others. According to the sources of a range of industry insiders, including sports medicine practitioners and the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW)

The most common injuries include:

Fractures due to overuse
Fractures caused by impact trauma
Anterior cruciate ligament tears (ACL)
Ankle sprains
Concussions
Dislocations
Pulled groin muscles
Shin splints, experienced by runners frequently
Strained muscles

How can a Physiotherapist help?

A Physiotherapist helps to restore movement when someone is injured, experiencing illness or disability. Physiotherapy can also help reduce the risk of injury in the future. It adopts a holistic approach provided by specially trained practitioners.

Physiotherapy involves several different treatments and preventative approaches, depending on the specific problems one is experiencing. At your first appointment, a physio assesses the movement of your body parts to determine what help you might need.

Some of the main approaches a physiotherapist may use are:

manual therapy
educate and advice
movement and exercise

Sports Physiotherapy in Sydney uses techniques such as acupuncture or ultrasound treatment.

Manual therapy

It is a technique where a physiotherapist uses their hands to massage, manipulate, and mobilize the body tissues.

This kind of therapy helps to:

relieve pain, soreness, and stiffness
improve blood circulation
help fluid drain efficiently from parts of the body
improve movement in various parts of the body
promote relaxation

Educate and advice

One of the critical aspects of physiotherapy involves looking at the body as a whole rather than concentrating only on an injury's factors. Therefore, giving general advice about improving your well-being – for example, exercising regularly and maintaining a healthy weight or BMI- is an integral part of treatment.

A Physio also gives specific advice on everyday activities regarding how to prevent injuries and improve health. For example, if you have back pain, you may be advised to maintain good posture, correct lifting or carrying techniques, and avoid prolonged standing.

Exercise and Movement

Physiotherapists recommend movement and exercises to help improve mobility and function.

This may include:

exercises suited to improve movement and strength in a specific part of the body – these usually have to be repeated regularly for a certain length of time
Post-injury or operation care to improve mobility

In the case of soft tissue injuries, you would be looking at around 6 – 8 weeks. More severe or chronic conditions take two or more months of treatment, depending on the development level. In conclusion, physiotherapy speeds up recovery, relieves pain, and prevents future injuries.