Athletic Therapy
What is Athletic Therapy?
Certified Athletic Therapists are best known for their quick-thinking on-field emergency care of professional and elite athletes. The first to respond when someone gets hurt, they are experts at injury assessment and rehabilitiation. It’s that same mix of on-site care and active rehabilitation skills that makes Athletic Therapists so effective in treating the musculosekeletal (muscles, bones, and joints) injuries of all Canadians, whether on the field or in the clinic.
Athletic therapists adhere to the Sports Medicine Model of care. They treat a wide range of patients, from kids with concussions to seniors recovering from hip replacement surgery, using various manual therapies, modalities, exercise prescription and even bracing and taping. The treatment varies but the objective doesn’t: an Athletic Therapist’s goal is to help clients return to their usual activities, whether that means playing competitive sports or walking to the mailbox and back.
Certified Athletic Therapists can be recognized by the credential CAT(C)
Our Victoria Certified Athletic Therapists provide care and management of sports and orthopedic injuries both in our clinic and on the sports field. Athletic therapy for injury care and treatment in the clinic is covered by some extended healthcare benefits. Our goal at Shelbourne Physiotherapy is to get you back to the active lifestyle you want promptly and safely. We understand that each person has specific needs and goals. Our one-on-one treatment approach provides immediate relief to musculoskeletal injuries.
Their specialized ability to blend traditional manual therapy and exercise-based rehabilitation makes Athletic Therapists effective in treating the musculoskeletal (muscles, bones, and joints) injuries whether on the field or in the clinic. Athletic Therapists treat a wide range of patients, from kids with concussions to seniors recovering from hip replacement surgery using various manual therapies, modalities, exercise prescription and even bracing and taping. The treatment may vary but the objective doesn’t: to help clients return to their usual activities.
What conditions do Athletic Therapists treat?
An Athletic Therapist can treat musculoskeletal injuries, including:
- muscle strains
- ligament sprains
- tendinitis
- low back or neck pain
- arthritis
- postural strain
- repetitive strain injuries
- fascial restrictions
They provide rehabilitation for post-surgical patients, including: ACL reconstruction, fractures, shoulder dislocations, and arthroscopic surgery.
Is an Athletic Therapist only for ‘Athletes’?
ABSOULTELY NOT! Whether you work in an office, ply on a team or are just a weekend warrior, we are all susceptible to injuries. Our Victoria Atheltic Therapists treat a wide range of patients, from kids with concussions to seniors recovering from hip replacement surger. The treatment varies but the objective does not: an Athletic Therapist’s coal is to help clients reutrn to their usual activities. Athletic Therapy will assist you in quickly returning to work or play based on your individual needs.
Book in with an Athletic Therapist if you are looking for:
- Acute and chornic injury management
- Integrated, custom, hands-on and active exercise based injury rehabilitation
- Corrective exercise training programs
- Return to sport training and conditioning
Certified Athletic Therapists (A.T.) are highly skilled health care practitioners that provide immediate treatment to musculoskeletal injures and apply rehabilitation techniques to ensure a rapid return to work and play. A.T.’s employ a sports medicine model of rehabilitation to offer accelerated rehabilitation to physical injuries incurred from sports, recreation, daily activities or occupation.
Our Certified Athletic Therapists provide services in the following areas:
- Managing injuries to muscle, ligaments, tendons and bones
- Treatment both in the clinic and providing first aid on the sports field
- Work Conditioning Programs
- ICBC Active exercise focused rehabilitation programs
- Postural and ergonomic analysis
- On-site emergency field coverage
The scope of practice of a Certified Athletic Therapist starts with the in-depth knowledge, education and training in the areas of the human musculoskeletal system, exercise physiology, biomechanics, and emergency care. There are many avenues in which Athletic Therapists can help rehabilitate clients, in both the prevention and treatment of injuries. (Some examples include post-operative and post-cast rehabilitation and muscle strengthening, joint replacement rehabilitation, chronic pain and low back pain, overuse/insidious type injuries, sport injuries, degenerative disk disease and disc herniations.) The Athletic Therapists at Shelbourne Physiotherapy are also trained in the recognition and treatment of concussions and post-concussion symptoms.
Assessment
- Diagnosing the mechanism of injury: whether it is a chronic pain, acute joint / muscle injury or illness / health related condition
- Determining signs and symptoms of a concussion and what type of concussion the client is suffering from
- Screening specific physical, orthopedic and posture conditions and addressing imbalances in the body that could lead to further injuries
Treatment
- Engaging in rehabilitative therapy using both manual treatment skills as well as modalities (including electrical, thermal and manual therapies) to facilitate recovery, function and/or performance.
- Providing custom therapeutic conditioning exercises to aid in rehabilitation and reconditioning of injuries that targets your specific biomechanical issues to get patients back to their best selves
- You will receive information and education to help you visualize and understand the significance of gait, stability and posture
Prevention
- Educating clients on injury risks specific to their jobs, lifestyles and hobbies and corrective actions associated with participation in fitness and sport programs
- Sports specific warm up and conditioning programs
- Workplace ergonomics assessment and recommendations for musculoskeletal injury prevention
- Providing clients with home exercises to further aid in injury reconditionoing and prevention
- Provide taping to support injured muscles and joints in both sport and workplace settings
- Sports equipment selection, fitting and repair
Interested in Athletic Therapy?
Certified Athletic Therapist and Practicing Kinesiologist Tegan Johnson has been practicing at Shelbourne Studio since 2021. She is passionate about helping every person connect with movement in any capacity, and offers treatments for both private and ICBC patients. She possesses a Bachelor degree in Athlete and Exercise Therapy (BAET) from Camosun College, is Functional Movement Screen (FMS) certified, and achieved her Movement and Performance Therapy Specialist credential through RehabU. She also has a special interested in concussion management.
