One Health Physio 

Sports Physiotherapy Remuera

What is Sports Physio

Sports Physiotherapy is the specialised branch of physiotherapy which deals with injuries and issues related to sports people.

Sports injuries do differ to everyday injuries. Athletes normally require high level performance and demand placed upon their body, which stresses their muscles, joints and bones to the limit.  Sports physiotherapists help athletes recover from sporting injuries and provide education and resources to prevent reinjury or secondary injuries. 

Each sports physiotherapist usually has sport-specific knowledge that addresses acute, chronic and overuse injuries. Their services are generally available to sports men and women of all ages engaged in sports at any level of competition. 

What Can a Sports Physio Do for You?

If you’re confronted with a sports injury, it can hinder your routine and performance. Unfortunately, injuries can strike anyone, whether you’re a high performing athlete or if you just engage in low key activities. A sports physiotherapist can provide tailored training plans for an athlete’s upcoming sports events, treat sports related injuries or provide hands on treatment to maximise performance and prevent injury.

7 BENEFITS OF SPORTS PHYSIOTHERAPy

1. Immediate Relief of Pain

A sports injury physio can help manage your acute pain and provide immediate pain relief, depending on the nature of the injury. This can include providing hot or cold packs, taping certain areas of the body, hands on treatment or dry needling which can ease or relieve muscular tension. Sports physiotherapists are knowledgeable in their treatment, which allows them to assess and target the source of pain.

2. Prevent Injury

Regular visits to a sports physiotherapist is an essential part of keeping healthy for athletes. They can assess current movement and identify areas of weakness or minor inflammation which could otherwise have led to an injury. They can assist with building up strength appropriate for the demands of the sport you play, and in this way can prevent injury from occurring in the first place, something all athletes wish to avoid.

3. Tailored Treatment Plans - to specific clients

A sports physio will design a focused training programme specific the athletes area of weakness and can correct current or previous injury limitations. A sports physio works one-on-one to develop and challenge an athlete’s limitations, whilst building the strength of ligaments, joints, bones and muscles, in order to improve their performance. A tailored treatment plan helps an athlete to reach their full potential.

4. Promotes Relaxation

Having a healthy body can lead to a happier and healthier individual, making a well-rounded sports person. Hands on treatment by a sports physiotherapist is also effective in relaxing muscular tension. Assistance from a qualified physiotherapist gives a sports person peace of mind knowing they are in the best possible hands for their sports needs or injury management.

5. Injury Treatment

A sports injury cannot always be prevented and unfortunately it occurs to many athletes from time to time. Drawing from their vast knowledge from their training and experience, sports physiotherapists can assist with achieving a faster rate of recovery from injury and improve healing time by providing specific exercises and treatment. The types of treatments depend on the injury and its severity, as well as the physio’s knowledge of the individual.

6. Unexpected Benefits - Cardiopulmonary Training

In addition to hands on treatment and exercises, physiotherapists can also provide assistance with cardiopulmonary training to enhance cardio fitness. This practice is a beneficial tool for athletes wanting to improve endurance, breathing and build their fitness.

7. Muscle & Joint Flexibility

Increasing muscle and joint flexibility is a key component of treatment with a sports physiotherapist. Improved flexibility results from the exercises performed which can lead to a greater chance of preventing injury.    

We will facilitate your injury recovery process

Our physios are equipped with a range of treatment techniques by reducing pain and swelling and maximising your movement during the injury recovery process. Injuries are time dependent and each phase requires a different treatment approach, our therapist will select specific techniques to aid and facilitate your injury recovery process. These may include one of the following: 

• Patient education

• Soft tissue manipulation

• Trigger point therapy

• Sports massage

• Joint mobilisation

• Acupuncture

• Dry needling

• Strapping

• Home exercise and stretching

• strength conditioning programs

Common Conditions and Physiotherapy

Physiotherapy is an effective form of treatment for a wide range of acute and chronic musculoskeletal injuries. Our treatment plans support the recovery process of following presentations: 

• Neck pain caused by: poor posture, disc, wry neck, whiplash

• Headaches

• Lower back pain caused by: disc, facet, muscle strain, nerve entrapment such as sciatica

• Sports injuries and pain associated with training or over-training

• Post-surgical rehabilitation

• Over-use injuries due to work or sports i.e running

• Postural imbalances