Unleashing the Strength: How Physical Therapy for Athletes Differs from the General Population
Musculoskeletal disorders are increasing rapidly, with over 200 patients seen at physical therapy clinics every week. This shows the massive need for healthcare centers to improve the body’s functionality and strength.
It is beyond doubt that the ultimate goal of physiotherapy is to optimize performance and protect from muscle injuries. Yet, there are some clear differences in the treatment for athletes and general population.
Strong athletes like bodybuilders or sportsmen need strength and increased athletic performance compared to the recovery of normal patients. This article will highlight the key points showing how sports therapy differs from general therapy sessions. Read on to learn everything about it.
Understanding the Unique Needs of Strength Athletes
These athletes prioritize power, speed, and performance over recovery from minor injuries. While sports injuries can temporarily impact their physical capabilities, strength athletes often exhibit faster recovery rates compared to individuals with chronic musculoskeletal conditions. Recognizing their specific needs, physical therapists employ specialized techniques and training programs to address the demands of their sport. These may include strength and conditioning exercises, sport-specific movements, and targeted interventions to enhance power and speed. By understanding the unique needs of strength athletes, therapists can provide them with the appropriate support and guidance to optimize their athletic performance and minimize the risk of future injuries. Let’s have a quick look at some unique needs of the sportsperson and how they handle them:
Challenges Faced by Athletes
Whether an athlete performs for a national, domestic, or international club, he has to face different situations. This is because athletes are always occupied in a super-stressed and competitive environment. Besides the major pressure of performing well in the field, they have to suffer through the following challenges:
- Risk of injury during excessive training
- Muscle cramps or dehydration
- Stress and anxiety
- Lack of sleep [1]
- Mental blocks
Addressing these challenges requires a comprehensive approach that combines physical therapy, sports psychology, and proper sports medicine interventions. Sports therapists and healthcare professionals work closely with athletes to provide support, develop coping mechanisms, and implement strategies to mitigate these challenges. By addressing these challenges proactively, athletes can optimize their performance, prevent injuries, and maintain their overall well-being in the demanding world of sports.
Specialized Treatment Approaches
During training or workout, athletes need to take extra care of their muscle movements and body functionality. Even a minor cut or excessive training can affect their health. Therefore, specialized treatment approaches are designed for strength athletes to regain mobility. The most common treatment methods include:
Rehabilitation
To provide optimum body functionality and regain muscle working, rehabilitation services are provided to strength athletes. These specialized sports therapies help the player return to his normal body functions. The common rehabilitation services include controlling swelling, improving motion, flexibility, and balancing training. [2]
Pain Management
Painkillers are the best treatment for injury and muscle fatigue for strength athletes. These anti-inflammatory drugs, such as aspirin, not only help in pain relief but also reduce inflammation. Moreover, if an athlete suffers from chronic pain, psychological therapies, including relaxation techniques and meditation, are provided to him. [3]
Key Differences in Physical Therapy for Strength Athletes
Generally, physiotherapy has the ultimate goal of curing injuries and musculoskeletal disorders. It is performed on both acute and chronic patients. When it comes to strength athletes, the physical therapy purposes can be different from the normal population. Why?
The reason lies in the need for strength and power for athletes rather than healing from injuries. To clear the confusion, let’s have a quick look at some of the key differences between physical therapy and sports therapy by discussing their goals and objectives separately:
Knowledge and Experience
Professional physiotherapists have a greater knowledge base on their degrees and gain training from different centers. They solely focus on the needs and healthcare patterns of normal patients. On the other hand, sports therapists are trained in specific work environments and gain experience by practicing at Emergency Care Centres.
Objectives
As a normal physiotherapist, you must work with primary care physicians and solve their medical needs accordingly. This generally involves providing supplementary medications, surgery, or regular therapy sessions. Whereas, as an athletic therapist, you have the following goals:
Performance Enhancement
Injury Prevention
Optimizing Movement Patterns
Treatment Methods
The treatment methods of a general therapist and sports therapist also differ widely. A sports therapist has to access the athlete’s body completely and then recommend an appropriate therapy course for treatment. Usually, individual treatment plans are tailored for strength athletes to regain their physical potential.
For instance, if a volleyball player gets injured, seeing a sports therapist for help is always recommended. This is because a sports therapist is better familiar with the physical demands and movements of a volleyball or soccer player than a normal therapist. Thus, he will advise the special recovery treatment to help the player regain his proper body mechanics.
Introducing Visbody as a Cutting-edge Technology for Comprehensive Body Assessment and Analysis
Now, you’ve completely learned how physical therapy for athletes differs from general patients. This also indicates that there are other treatment methods specifically designed for sportspersons so they can get the best physical recovery. The type and nature of the process do not matter if you’re using Visbody technology in your treatment.
Visbody advanced technology methods ensure that you get the best results within a short time. Sports injuries and muscle damage are deep and require a detailed body analysis. Therefore, the precise and super-convenient way is to use this cutting-edge technology in your treatment methods if you want remarkable results. Here are some of the practical uses of the Visbody 3D body scanner in assessing the athlete’s body performance and physical state:
1- Assess Body Composition
Through Visbody’s body scan machine measurement feature, sports therapists can easily analyze the core body composition of strength athletes. Assessing the physical body structure completely provides detailed information about the disorder. The best thing is this scanner machine is not limited to body composition. Here are some other vital functions performed by this scanner:
- Analyzes the body posture
- Determine lean body mass and muscle mass
- Provide information about movement mechanics
2- Identify Injury Risk
Visbody’s next-level full-body 3D scanner, the Visbody S30, is designed to generate 3D models with millimeter-level accuracy. With the help of this body scanner device, you can now easily gather data in more than six categories and generate reports accordingly.
Hence, it is a precise way to identify potential risks of injuries as it analyzes the core body posture within seconds. In case of any imbalance in the body, this body composition analyzer quickly identifies it along with asymmetries so you can make a treatment plan for a strength athlete.
3- Accurate Body Overview
The data analysis power of the Visbody 3D scanner allows you to get a complete overview of the patient’s body in no time. By using medical-grade-12-core technology, it provides precise reports for athletes’ posture and physical composition.
More specifically, this 3D scanner machine can interpret specific body components. For instance, if a patient has shoulder muscle issues, the machine will scan the shoulder joints and generate a complete shoulder posture report for you.
4- Tracks Body Progress
One of the best applications of the Visbody full-body scanner is it tracks the body’s progress and generates independent physical examination reports. The latest technology in this machine allows it to compare the patient’s body with a 3D model so you can easily see the defects and impairments that need recovery.
Thus, it monitors each aspect of the athlete’s body so physical therapists can design their recovery sessions effectively. Besides this, it assesses the net and standard values of the following body parts:
- Body Weight
- Lean body mass
- Muscle mass
- Body Fat
- Skeletal Muscle Content
- Inorganic salts
- Proteins
- Total Body Water
- Waist-to-Hip Ratio
- Basal Metabolism
- Body Mass Index(BMI)
- Body Fat Percentage
- Intracellular Fluid
- Extracellular Fluid
5- Personalized Treatment Plans
With Visbody technology, physical therapists can create personalized treatment plans for athletes based on the comprehensive body assessment and analysis provided by the 3D body scanner. By understanding the athlete’s body composition, posture, and movement mechanics, therapists can tailor their treatment approaches to address specific areas of concern and optimize recovery outcomes. This level of personalization ensures that athletes receive targeted and effective treatments, reducing the risk of further injuries and enhancing their overall performance.
6- Enhancing Rehabilitation Efficiency
By accurately tracking body progress and comparing it with the 3D model, therapists can monitor the effectiveness of the treatment over time. This data-driven approach allows for adjustments and modifications to the rehabilitation plan as needed, ensuring that athletes progress toward their recovery goals efficiently. The ability to track and measure the athlete’s body parameters and improvements help therapists make informed decisions and optimize the rehabilitation process.
Case Studies and Success Stories
By constantly working in 3D Human Body Digitization and using intelligent technology, Visbody has made up its name in the health industry. People from different professions, including therapists, fitness experts, doctors, and spa business holders, have benefited a lot from this 3D scanner. Here are some success stories that show the importance of Visbody in the industry:
- It is named in the list of best brands in the fitness industry.
- It is listed among the top 3 medical industries of AI conferences.
- It has been named to FIBO Best Product And Function Innovation Award.
- It has worked with more than 20 dealers worldwide.
Besides this, Visbody is FDA-approved and has released its two latest 3D products, the Visbody S30 and Visbody R-Explorer. Thus, you can trust this leading technology company and make your work quicker and more convenient.
FAQs
1- Do Physical Therapists do Strength Training?
Physical therapists also provide strength training besides rectifying injuries and providing recovery treatment plans for muscle movements. This is done for weight lifters, bodybuilders, and sportspersons who need strength training sessions to maintain their physical status.
2- How can an Athlete Improve their Strength?
The best way to improve strength is by doing special training exercises that demand maximum force and power. In this way, athletes can not only maintain their body composition but can also gain mobility. Some common exercises that improve strength include weight lifting, running, jumping, and bounding.
3- How can Physical Therapy Help Athletes?
Strength athletes face multiple pain, mobility, and injury challenges requiring proper treatment. For this, physiotherapists offer multiple recovery sessions specifically designed for the body’s maintenance and functioning of players. Visbody helps sports therapists identify potential injuries and analyze core body composition with high-tech products [4].
4- Can Physical Therapy Help Muscle Weakness?
The ultimate objective of physiotherapy is to recover muscle cramps and maintain normal body movements. Patients suffering from extreme muscle pain or weakness immediately rush toward therapists to optimize their muscle ability. With the help of Visbody, physical therapists can now determine lean body mass and help PT patients increase their muscular strength.
5- What Conditions Can Benefit from Physical Therapy?
Physical therapy can be beneficial for a wide range of conditions, including musculoskeletal injuries, post-surgical rehabilitation, chronic pain, neurological disorders, sports-related injuries, and age-related mobility issues. It can help improve strength, flexibility, balance, coordination, and overall physical function. Physical therapists are trained to assess and treat various conditions to help individuals regain optimal physical health and function.
6- Is Physical Therapy Only for Injuries?
While physical therapy is commonly associated with injury rehabilitation, it is not limited to injuries alone. Physical therapy also plays a significant role in preventive care, wellness, and performance enhancement. Athletes and individuals looking to improve their physical fitness and prevent injuries can benefit from physical therapy by optimizing their movement patterns, addressing imbalances, and receiving guidance on proper training techniques.
References
- Dehghansai N, Pinder RA, Baker J, Renshaw I. Challenges and stresses experienced by athletes and coaches leading up to the Paralympic Games. PLoS One 2021;16:e0251171. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0251171.
- Crockett B. Rehabilitation of the Athlete. Mo Med 2011;108:173–5.
- Alaiti RK, Reis FJJ. Pain in Athletes: Current Knowledge and Challenges. Int J Sports Phys Ther n.d.;17:981–3. https://doi.org/10.26603/001c.37675.
- Yosef-Brauner O, Adi N, Ben Shahar T, Yehezkel E, Carmeli E. Effect of physical therapy on muscle strength, respiratory muscles and functional parameters in patients with intensive care unit-acquired weakness. Clin Respir J 2015;9:1–6. https://doi.org/10.1111/crj.12091.
