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How to Find the Right Sports Physiotherapy for You

There are a few important factors to consider when searching for sports physiotherapy, which most people might not be aware of. For instance, as sports physiotherapy is a regulated profession which upholds standards of care, checking for professional qualifications is one factor which is especially important when dealing with injuries and body issues, among a few others.

Uncertainty about what to look for can lead to hesitation from often vitally necessary and timely treatment for sport related injuries or issues, so knowing the following factors can help facilitate the overall process of personal success at resolving sport related injuries and issues.

Here are some important helpful factors to consider when seeking sports physiotherapy:

1. Qualified Therapists

As mentioned above, qualifications are a bedrock first factor to consider and confirm with sports physiotherapy and therapists. They are often working on physical injuries which are very consequential to life, and therefore require robust standards of expertise and training to be addressed safely. You can check if a particular physiotherapist is accredited at the College of Physical Therapists of British Columbia Public Register.

2. Specific Expertise

There are many different approaches and types of treatment available in sports physiotherapy, all with different strengths and weaknesses. Physiotherapists are usually trained in multiple different treatment types and often will specialize or have more experience treating certain body parts, particularly in sports physiotherapy, where many come from a background of a certain sport with specific muscle groups, joints, tendon, bone or movement usage and injury tendencies. However, a trained sports physiotherapist is well equipped with the knowledge and experience to address these without having engaged in the specific sport. It is worth reading the profiles and asking a clinic to see if the physiotherapists have experience treating issues or injuries like yours.

You can ask for a general idea of what a physiotherapist thinks they could offer in terms of treatments, exercises, and what their overall assessment might look like, before committing to an initial sports physiotherapy assessment appointment.

3. Equipment and Facilities

The equipment and gym or exercise area within a physiotherapy clinic near Surrey is an important factor to consider and check out, in particular for sports physiotherapy, because for sports, the use of gym equipment is often valuable to help target injuries more precisely and carefully.Especially as there’s such a diverse range of movements in sports, good facilities help sports physiotherapists to somewhat double as personal trainers, or a team including a personal trainer can teach you how to perform relevant exercises and movements properly and safely to address current issues and holistically prevent injuries in the future.

4. Location

A clinic’s location is important, as a long commute can be an inconvenience, even a deterrent to going for the initial assessment and committing to an adequate treatment course. Oftentimes, a physiotherapy course of treatment will involve a weekly, or even twice weekly attendance, so distance can really matter. However, sometimes for places with great reputations, it may be worth the distance, especially if you can drive there. For those who have injuries which make a longer commute questionable, such as lower back issues, and especially if using less comfortable and bumpier public transit, it is likely best to choose a clinic not too far from home.

5. Availability

An important question to ask a clinic is how available the therapist is, as —especially in cities— therapists of all kinds can often be fairly booked up at times, sports physiotherapy certainly not being an exception. So this is an important consideration to discuss in relation to the recommended treatment session frequency and your own schedule, so you will be able to find session times which work well for your life situation.

6. Success Stories

In assessing the quality of services and therapists’ abilities, it is very helpful to look for testimonials of success from previous clients. These can be found on a clinic’s website, brochures, or on review websites like Google maps or Yelp. These can provide invaluable insight into the whole process, such as the various aspects of the exercises, treatment and education you will receive, as well as into how well particular issues which may resemble or match yours have been treated.It can also help excite you about achieving similar results, contributing to your own engagement and commitment to the process, which is particularly essential to deriving great results, both in the short term and long term, from a course of sports physiotherapy treatment.