Sports Physical Therapy

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What is a sports physical therapist? A sports physical therapist is a physical therapist who specializes in the field of sports medicine. This type of therapist is qualified to work with patients who have suffered debilitating injuries from sporting events (Thyberg). Sports physical therapists work with a number of patients with problems ranging from muscle pains to sports injuries. Their work doesn’t consist of only working with injured patients; sports physical therapists must come up with care plans, fill out paper work, and check in with their patient’s doctors for status updates. There are several components that make up the job of a sports physical therapist.

What is physical therapy anyway? According to Merrium-Webster.com, “The treatment of disease, injury, or disability by physical and mechanical means (as massage, regulated exercise, water, light, heat, and electricity).” Physical therapy is “A branch of rehabilitative medicine aimed at helping patients maintain, recover or improve their physical abilities” (Nordqvist). Sports physical therapists don’t only treat injured athletes, but also patients who have muscle pains, back pains and bad posture (Sportsinjuryclinic.com). People whose movement is impaired by a number of factors such as aging and disease also benefit from physical therapy (Nordqvist). In order to give these patients what they need, students must go to school to become physical therapists.

When a student decides that he or she wants to become a physical therapist, there are two paths he or she can take. The first, community colleges offer programs that prepare students for master’s degree programs in physical therapy. The second, they also have the option to attend one of many four-year c...

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...t - Career Information." Career Planning - Career Planning Guide. 6 Dec. 2010. Web. 31 Jan. 2011. .

Nordqvist, Christian. "What Is Physical Therapy (physiotherapy)? What Does A Physical Therapist (physiotherapist) Do?" Medical News Today: Health News. 14 Aug. 2009.

Web. 14 Feb. 2011. .

Sports Injury Clinic. "What Is an Sports Therapist?" The Virtual Sports Injury Clinic - Sports Injuries, Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment. Web. 14 Feb. 2011. .

Thyberg,, David. "What Is a Sports Physical Therapist? | EHow.com." EHow | How To Do Just About Everything! | How To Videos & Articles. 2010. Web. 31 Jan. 2011. .

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