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Benefits of Physical Therapy

People tend to wonder how the most fit professional athletes in the world suffer major injuries in
sports. Torn ACLs, meniscus tears, or even strained hamstrings. An example of this can be an
athlete such as Derrick Rose, who is not only one of the top NBA players, but also one of the
fittest athletes in the world. He has sustained two major knee injuries that have sidelined him for
more than a year. When these major injuries do occur, surgery is most likely required and
physical therapy is a tool that athletes and people in general use to help recover. That being said,
what people do not realize is that these physical therapy techniques and exercises can be used
before these injuries happen in the first place. With proper training and education from a
physical therapist, sports injuries can be significantly reduced and in most cases prevented from
occurring (Health Information). Furthermore, physical therapy can be incorporated into a
persons regular day to help strengthen the body and help decrease the chance of sustaining
injuries. It would be beneficial if these techniques were incorporated in the training of young
athletes to start them at a young age to help make sure their bodies are as strong as possible to
prevent injuries from happening. Physical Therapy can also be used to benefit not just
professional athletes, but also people who have jobs such as being a truck driver. Physical
Therapy is most commonly known as a tool used to recover from injury, however, it can also be
used as a source to prevent injury from occurring.
Physical Therapy is most commonly known as a tool that athletes and people in general use to
recover from injury. Many people are referred to a physical therapist in order to rehabilitate
from a major medical trauma or surgery, but increasing research suggests that treatment by a

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physical therapist is often equally effective and cheaper alternative to
surgery(Auruskin). Physical therapy is used as a source to recover from injury but as stated in
the above quote it is also becoming an alternative to either hold off from surgery or prevent
surgery from being needed completely. A great example of someone who needs physical therapy
can be someone who just had meniscus surgery. A person with a meniscus tear coming right off
of surgery is an example of someone who needs to come to physical therapy to help rehabilitate
the knee and regain full movement. This is a perfect example of what physical therapy is and
why patients go to physical therapy after having surgery. This therefore connects to the first part
of my thesis that physical therapy is commonly used to recover from injury. Physical Therapy is
a common way for athletes and people in general who are coming off of surgery to use to recover
from, and even allow a patient to become stronger and use their body in ways they never have
before. While performing these exercises can be very beneficial, a physical therapist can also
better help a patient understand the mechanics of the body. Physical therapy can teach people
how to move safely and functionally in ways they havent in quite a while (Rodriguez). Tommy
John injury is most common in major league pitchers and is an injured elbow ligament. Surgery
is usually required but sometimes other treatment is tried first such as physical therapy (Tommy
John). Physical Therapist study movements of the body. Therefore, a physical therapist can tell
a patient what they are mechanically doing wrong. Their job furthermore is to teach the patient
how to move safely and in ways that they never have before in order to move more efficiently
and to prevent injury. Tommy John Surgery is a great example because this is an injury that
usually occurs because of a pitching motion that is not mechanically sound. There is too much
stress being created on the elbow, therefore damaging the UCL, which on most occasions
requires surgery. After surgery on the elbow, pitchers undergo physical therapy to help

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strengthen the throwing elbow back up. During this time pitchers usually attempt to tweak their
pitching motion so that there will not be as much stress on the elbow. Tommy John injury is just
one example of a serious injury that occurs that can be treated with physical therapy, but can also
be prevented in the first place, if pitchers tweak their throwing motion to decrease the chance of
this injury occurring.
Mostly known as a tool for recovery, Physical Therapy techniques and exercises can also be
used to help decrease the chance of obtaining injuries. With proper training and education by a
physical therapist, sports injuries can be significantly reduced and in most cases prevented
(Health Information). By getting with a physical therapist and creating a plan to help make the
movements of the body more efficient, a person can lessen the chance of obtaining injury. That is
the reason many athletic teams hire a physical therapist to help athletes learn about what can
keep them in the fittest shape, and furthermore decrease their chance of getting injured.100%
physical therapy can help prevent injuries if the athlete is willing to work and help strengthen
endurance, and his or her body (Silva). This quote clearly illustrates that physical therapy can
be used as a tool for prevention of injury. This quote comes directly from a physical therapist,
showing that with their help, and an athletes motivation to work, preventing injury is completely
possible. Physical Therapy is a great source to use to strengthen the body which will allow
athletes and people in general to further decrease their chance of obtaining injuries. It would be
even more beneficial if these techniques were incorporated in the training of young athletes as
well so that their bodies are physically strong at a young age. The number of kids who are
injured seriously enough while playing sports to warrant a trip to the emergency room- 1.24
million in 2013; 3,400 a day(Healy). This is an overwhelming number of kids who are getting
injured participating in sports. That is therefore why there needs to be more awareness on how to

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prevent these injuries. An example of a young athlete can be an 11 year old girl needing physical
therapy because she was having pain in her left knee. The injury being sports related, as she
plays gymnastics and softball. This patient is a catcher in softball which means she was not
squatting correctly when catching, therefore leading to more stress being put on her ankles and
knees. A physical therapist job is now to teach her how to squat correctly and show her different
stretches that could help her strengthen her knees. Something else coaches need to be made
aware of by physical therapist is to make sure kids get treated properly before they return to their
sport. 54% say they have played injured and 70% of those kids say they told a coach or parent
that they were hurt(Healy). This statistic clearly shows the danger that kids are undergoing
because they are risking further injury playing while injured. This can be prevented by getting
treated properly first before returning, but also being taught how to prevent these injuries in the
first place. According to the CDC, more than half of all sports injuries in children are
preventable(Wiesenberger). Injury awareness needs to start at a young age because there are
about 3,400 kids getting seriously injured per day. This means that they are sustaining injuries
such as torn ACLs, and particularly in baseball, stress in the elbow from pitching that could
ultimately end up requiring surgery. This number could be cut down if kids and also the coaches
had more awareness of mechanically what kids need to improve no matter what sport they are
playing to prevent injury from occurring. A physical therapist can help address this situation not
only when recovering from injury, but more importantly before injury even happens. 54% of kids
say that they play through injury which falls on the shoulders of the coaches. Coaches need to be
made more aware that playing these kids through injury at a young age will harm them more
down the road, and kids need to be treated properly before they can continue to play. Many kids
and coaches dont realize that the body is a lot more fragile at a young age and that is when most

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serious injuries occur because the body is still developing, which is therefore why physical
therapy can be used a tool to educate these coaches to prevent injuries from happening.
Using physical therapy can help people get into better shape and use their body in ways they
never have before. Movement can help prevent obesity, which may be responsible for 18% of
U.S adult deaths (Avruskin). This statistic about obesity can be lowered by undergoing stretches
and techniques used in physical therapy. When an overweight patient comes into physical
therapy with back pain a physical therapist will most likely say it is weight related. They will
then make a plan for the patient to lose weight and strengthen their body to get rid of the back
pain. Physical Therapy is first thought as a source used to recover from injuries specifically in
sports. However, physical therapy can help people get into better shape as well because it pushes
them to exercise more. Physical Therapy can ultimately push people to want to lose weight
because they have a physical therapist right at their side pushing them and allowing them to
move and mobilize their body more efficiently. The careers of many athletes can be extended by
using physical therapy on a regular basis. A study of 1,435 NCAA Division 1 female soccer
players demonstrated that those who participated in a medically based strengthening program
had an overall ACL injury rate 41 percent lower than those who did only a regular warm-up prior
to practice(What is Sports). Because SPTA trainers are experts in knowing how the body
works, they are able to design personalized strength training programs to reduce the risk of injury
whether in everyday activities or sports (Sports and Physical Therapist associates). The study of
Division one female soccer players proved that those who used a strengthening program had a
lower chance of obtaining an ACL injury. This shows that physical therapy based programs can
help prevent getting injured. Physical therapists are experts in knowing how the body works, so
working with a physical therapist can benefit an athlete to further learn about the body and

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become stronger. That is why physical therapy can ultimately help prolong an athlete's career
because in doing so an athlete can learn more about his or her body and what they need to do in
order to stay in the shape needed to perform at a high level.
Physical Therapy can be used in many other different ways then just to recover from injury.
Although recovering from injuries is the common use of physical therapy, it can be used to help
prevent injuries as well. A physical therapist's responsibility is to show a patient what is
mechanically wrong with his or her body and to show that patient what needs to be done to fix
the problem. Major injuries are extremely common at a young age in sports, and coaches need to
be made more aware of what can happen if a young athlete plays through injury. It needs to be
made more clear to that physical therapy can be a great source to prevent obesity as well. While
physical therapy is usually looked at as a one dimensional tool that is only used to recover from
injuries, it can be used as much more than that. It can be looked at as a tool that can decrease the
amount of injuries that occur in youth sports and pro sports, and decrease the large number of
people who are obese in the United States.

Works Cited
Avruskin, Andrea. Benefits of Physical Therapy Move Forward Physical Therapy. American
Physical Therapy Association. Web. 21 October 2104.
Avruskin, Andrea. Physical Therapists Guide to a Meniscus Tear Move Forward Physical
Therapy. American Physical Therapy Association. Web. 21 October 2014.
"Benefits of SPTA Fitness." - Sports and Physical Therapy Associates. Sports and Physical
Therapy Associates, n.d. Web. 07 Nov. 2014.
Healy, Michelle." Report urges planning now to curb youth sports injuries" USA Today 13
August 2014. USA Today. Web. 10 September 2014.
Silva, James. Personal Interview. 20 October 2014.
Rodriguez, Diana. "Physical Therapy for Pain Management." Everyday Health 10 March 2010.
Google. Web. 8 October 2014.
Staff, Healthwise. "Health Information." Library. N.p., 19 Nov. 2012. Web. 06 Nov. 2014.
"Tommy John Surgery (UCL Reconstruction) and Recovery." WebMD. WebMD, n.d. Web. 06
Nov. 2014.
Weisenberger, Lisa. "Youth Sports Injuries Statistics" 2000. Google. Web. 9 September 2014.
"What Is Sports Physical Therapy?" What Is Sports Physical Therapy? Sports Physical Therapy
Section, n.d. Web. 06 Nov. 2014.