What is Sport Therapy?

The goal of sports therapy is to rehabilitate an injured individual and return him/her to sport in the condition they were prior to the injury or an even fitter condition. In Terramed, our team of sports therapists and physiotherapists works together in order to provide the optimal treatment for each individual. 

The main components of sports therapy are: 

• Physiotherapy 
• Reconditioning
• Return to play
• Prevention

When a patient comes in for sports therapy, we start with an assessment conducted by the physiotherapist. The physiotherapist will perform special tests to rule out and narrow down injuries and the causes. After that, they will provide the necessary treatment for the patient to address the most pressing issues first. The physiotherapist will then draw up a treatment plan according to short term and long term goals for the patient. The sports therapist, on the other hand, will be working hand-in-hand with the physiotherapist to prescribe exercises that will complement the treatment provided to the patient.

Throughout the entire journey, the therapists will be conducting tests periodically to ensure that the patient is adapting and progressing well to the treatments and exercises. Tests are also used to provide clear cut confirmation that a patient is eligible to move to the next stage of rehabilitation. 

Why Sport Therapy?

Sports therapy is specifically focused on the prevention and rehabilitation of injury, thus helping the person return back to optimum levels of function, occupation & sports specific fitness. 

It capitalizes on the principle of sport & exercise science incorporating physiological & pathological processes to prepare the person for a competition and, where applicable, work.

Return to Sporting Life

For many people whose daily activities involve exercise and sports, a Return to Sporting Life is just as important. This recovery and rehabilitation programme takes you beyond the return to daily life and enables you to go back to playing sports and, importantly, performing at a pre-injury level. In the case an injury is minor it might not require you to stop competing but for major injuries requiring long rehabilitation training programs, our Sports Therapy approach aims to bring you back to your athletic performance levels.

Recovery focusing on Return to Sport is focused on all the medical aspects covered in Return to Daily Life as well as restoration of performance related abilities:

• Pain, Mobility, Strength, Coordination, Balance
• Power, Speed, Agility, Reaction, and Endurance

Of course, exercises prescribed for Return To Sport depend on the individual and the primary sport you’re focused on. 

Within our Sports Therapy framework, we tailor the programme to your sporting needs to provide an optimal Return to Sport for your everyday life.

How does Sport Therapy work?

The first phase of sport therapy for any injury always begins with pain management and reduction of swelling. Conditioning the body by exercising the uninjured side is crucial to maintaining fitness. 

In the second phase, mobility and stability are emphasized to create a proper foundation. When our joints, soft tissues, and other structures of the body do not have optimal mobility, compensations and other issues may arise in the movement system. Also, if we fail to resist unwanted movement by poorly stabilizing our body, injuries may happen. Thus, before progressing to any strength training, adequate mobility and stability of the injured muscle groups coordinated with other muscle groups is necessary. 

The third phase of sport therapy will focus on building muscle strength, strength endurance and muscle hypertrophy in a new range. The greatest benefits of strength training are building stronger muscles and bones and preventing loss of muscle mass.

Finally, power exercises specific to the patient’s sport have to be included before returning to sports. Possessing muscular power is highly correlated with greater participation and success in sports as well as having more freedom and independence as we age. 

A proper balance between rest and stress is key for progressive overload. Swelling and pain should always be used as indicators in each phase.