As an athlete, your body is your only tool to help you succeed. Not only can this mean it is your meal ticket and ability to make money, but for many, it is what scholarships and accolades hinge on. Because of this, athletes need to do everything they can to work hard and protect their bodies while creating a team of professionals who can help them along the way.
The two main medical professionals you will need are physical therapists and athletic trainers: but how do you get these two to work together? This is everything you need to know.
What are these professions?
A physical therapist works hard to help an athlete regain strength and movement after an injury. This can be through many different exercises, stretches and specialized techniques that their medical backgrounds say will support healing and regaining of strength and flexibility. They also work to help athletes manage pain and avoid possible damage in the future.
Athletic trainers work specifically with athletes, while a physical therapist works with many people ranging from athletes to people who have never done a sport in their life. Athletic trainers often work with other medical professionals but don’t necessarily need medical training on their own.
Their differences
The main difference between these two is that physical therapists require a medical background to work this job. They work with many patients, while athletic trainers work specifically with athletes. Another difference is the type of work they do.
Physical therapists work to rehabilitate and may also put in the time and effort to create guides to prevent future injury and give athletes the tools they need to succeed through their physical therapy.
Although athletic trainers can help show moves that will stop future injuries, they are usually aimed more specifically through the sport and the range of motion and balance necessary for it.
How they are alike
These two jobs are alike because their main goal is to get the athlete back on their feet and going with as little risk of a future injury as possible. In addition, they want the athlete to make a full and healthy recovery and to have the tools necessary to come back stronger and better while also knowing their limits.
What they can do together
Together these professionals can create a plan that will take an athlete from the day of their injury and, over time, train them to get back up and ready when it is time. When these professionals work together, they can help athletes like Danusia Francis, who performed uneven bars in July of 2021 with a torn ACL and was capable of scoring the highest execution score of the day. These teams can be unstoppable when given a common goal.
Every athlete needs the best team
Whether you specialize in swimming, running or balancing, you need a team behind you that believes in you and will work hard for you. When paired together, these professionals are unstoppable and will help you get the best results possible.
Article written by Noah Mirro
This article was written by the guest author listed at the end of the article.