The Revolution of Online Sports Therapy
Whether you lead an active lifestyle or not, the likelihood of sustaining a physical injury at some point in life, however big or small, is pretty high. They can come in all forms of trauma, strain, broken bone and sprain, and it can happen with zero foresight in many cases. Age, activity level, sporting technique and genetics all play a part in determining how well our bodies cope with both exercise and the potential for injury. But it’s the aftermath that we have to pay close attention to if we are to recover fully and get back to optimum levels of function.
We can actually categorise most injuries into one of three main types of athletic injury; Acute, Overuse and Chronic.
👉 ACUTE
Acute injuries usually occur from a single traumatic event. This can result in problems such as sprains, dislocations, muscle strains or even fractures.
👉 OVERUSE
Overuse injuries occur over time and often come from repetitive trauma. They’re different from Acute injuries, and the slow development can make them more challenging to diagnose: therefore, they are not always easy to treat—a good example of this could be shin splints or tennis elbow.
👉 CHRONIC
Chronic injuries are similar to overuse in that it is the repetition of movement which can cause the problem; however, Chronic injuries typically last at least three months or more. Both Acute and Overuse injury can evolve to Chronic injury.
Damaging our body can be worrying, and the extent of the injury is not always evident right away. Waiting for the body to heal naturally over time doesn’t necessarily work. It heavily depends on which type of injury we’re dealing with in order to identify the best course of treatment. And not all injuries are treated the same. That’s why the most sensible decision is to head straight to someone with expertise in the field of physiology; this allows for a thorough assessment of the problem through the guidance of a professional.
Now, most of us would opt to get an appointment with our doctor, which makes perfect sense. It’s free, it’s familiar, and you can usually secure a session within the week (if you’re lucky!). But what if you can’t wait a week, and what if the injury you’ve sustained is stopping you from going about normal life?
Then we need to think about our other options and who would we recommend? A Sports Therapist, and here’s why;
Let’s start by establishing who a Sports Therapist is and what they do to keep our bodies happy and healthy.
Sports Therapists
A Sports Therapist is not that dissimilar to a Physiotherapist. They can treat all sorts of injuries, give guidance on injury prevention and assist with rehabilitation. They are experts in musculoskeletal disorders and using various techniques and therapies; a Sports Therapist can recommend exercise, perform massage, use supportive strapping, and assess the progression of physical recovery. As our Sports Therapist Brad shared with us, “We utilise the principles of sport and exercise science incorporating physiological and pathological processes to prepare the participant for training, competition and where ever applicable.”
One common misconception, however, is that Sports Therapist only attends to professional athletes. We asked Brad to elaborate on this:
“This is not true. No matter what your occupation or sporting ability, we can use our knowledge and skills to treat a range of injuries, whether they are sports-related or not. We are efficient in improving both the health of patients and quality of life, regardless of age or abilities.”
So with this in mind and working on the premise that Sports Therapy is for everyone, what can be said about online Sports Therapy consultations or is it vital to see a specialist in person? Indeed when dealing with a physical injury, we would need physical attention?
👉 Benefit 1
You can offer as much information as you can, in detail, before consultancy. Doing this gives your therapist adequate time to look into the problem and make sure your one on one meeting is as helpful and cost-effective as possible.
👉 Benefit 2
As with speaking to your GP face to face, you would assess the problem initially via verbal communication. However, in this case, no travel is required as it would all be online – ideally via video call. Video call consultations allow you to point out physical impairments and areas of particular discomfort. It also gives the therapist the added advantage of directing you to perform specific physical movements related to the injury. A visual assessment of the injury alongside the verbal description will allow them to assess the issue more accurately.
👉 Benefit 3
Self-treatment – not all therapy involves lying on a table and being prodded and poked. Much of the recovery process is rehabilitation through specific mobility and strengthening exercises. And don’t forget, there’s a good chance that the therapist may have seen a condition similar to yours before, and therefore already be aware of possible treatments. That’s not to say that we all endure injuries on the same level. However, this prior knowledge will most certainly help decipher which self-treatment best to prescribe.
👉 Benefit 4
You’ll likely get seen quicker. Unlike the GP, Sports Therapists can structure their day into much more regimented time slots per patient. This means no hanging around and no rejigging your schedule last minute to accommodate unexpected waiting times.
👉 Benefit 5
You can see your Sports Therapist from anywhere in the country or world even! Keeping on top of rehab is essential for a full recovery, and it could be necessary to see the therapist more than once. But doing this online allows you flexibility – so no matter where you are, you can still attend your session and keep up to date with your progress.
Would you like to see an Online Sports Therapist?
It is possible to diagnose injury from a remote location, over video call and using qualified and professional Sports Therapists. If you’re currently still shielding, struggling to get seen at the doctor’s or just need support and advice from a highly skilled professional, then this could be just the thing.
