Sports therapy is an aspect of healthcare that is specifically concerned with the prevention of injury and rehabilitation of the patient back to optimum levels of function, occupational and sports specific fitness, regardless of age and ability.
It utilises the principles of sport and exercise sciences by incorporating physiological and pathological processes to prepare the participant for training, competition and where applicable work.
A Sports Therapist is a healthcare professional who has the knowledge, skills and ability to:
Utilise sports and exercise principles to optimise performance, preparation and injury prevention programmes
Provide the immediate care of injuries and basic life support in a recreational, training & competitive environment
Assess, treat and, where appropriate, refer on for specialist advice and intervention
Provide appropriate sport and remedial massage in a sport & exercise context
Plan and implement appropriate rehabilitation programmes
Within each of these areas Sports Therapists, and specifically those at Graduate level, are trained and educated in principles that have sound practical and evidence based philosophies with solid sport and exercise science foundations.
Sports Therapists, and particularly Members of the Society of Sports Therapists, use their Sport and Exercise science knowledge, therapeutic abilities and understanding of sports to apply the necessary rehabilitation principles to enable their patients to achieve the optimum level of recovery that their injury or disability allows. More importantly, Sports Therapists are an integral part of the Sports Medicine family who complement and reinforce the excellent skills and knowledge provided by other professions.
