Football season is completely upon us. As you read this, athletes that specialize in football everywhere are currently engaging in physical training methods, technical aspects of the game, and tactical training in order to perform optimally on the field. In fact, you are probably one of those players. Heads up tackling such as buzzing the feet, the shoot, and the breakdown position and heads up blocking such as the stance, the strike, and the stick are all components of your day-to-day training sessions.
You want to be the best. In addition to all of those drills and techniques, did you know that physical therapy can help you improve your game?
What is Physical Therapy for Football?
Physical therapy offered to football players is a highly dynamic program that places an emphasis on the general level of functionality of the body. It places a strong focus on the body’s core and the lower-level extremities of the body. Routines utilized in this type of physical therapy focus on strength, agility, and flexibility. All areas of focus are on cutting, balance, and mobility. Physical therapy is appropriate for those that are in training, want to improve their game, maintain an edge over competition, or are recovering from a physical injury.
How Does Physical Therapy Help Athletes?
Physical therapy can benefit athletes in all types of sports like baseball, cycling, and tennis. It helps in building strength, improving their general level of flexibility, and gaining neuromuscular control. As a result, the athletes become stronger and are capable of moving in a more efficient manner.
Furthermore, physical therapy helps athletes learn how to prevent injury while playing their chosen sport. If an injury has occurred, physical therapy helps the athlete rebuild the body so that they may return to their chosen sport.
Does the NFL use Physical Therapy?
Yes, the NFL has actually mandated that every team that is part of the NFL have its own physical therapist. Players that become injured utilize this type of service to rebuild and regain strength through the healing process. Additionally, players without injuries use physical therapy to strengthen their bodies and to learn how to prevent injuries while playing football.
Why is Physical Therapy Important to the Sports Industry?
Physical therapy helps ensure that all players are as strong and efficient as possible. The therapy helps teach players how to avoid injuries. Despite the best of intentions and training, it is possible to incur injuries while playing sports.
A sports therapist specializes in helping athletes recover as quickly as possible. They also help athletes in preventing any further issues that may develop in the future.
What are the Main Benefits of Physical Therapy for Football Players?
Football players have a necessity to have a high degree of physicality and to perform optimally to excel within their sport. Unfortunately, football places a high level of demand on the bodies of those that play the sport. As a result of this, injuries occur frequently. Physical therapy provides specially-designed training-based regimens that are specifically tailored to football players. This way, the athletes become stronger and the chance for injuries is drastically reduced. As a football player, physical therapy offers the following benefits:
- Injury Prevention – If an improper technique is performed during football training sessions, many complications may occur. These include injuries to the muscles, torn ligaments, and fractures and/or breaks in the bones. Physical therapists create a customized plan that includes taking into consideration the athlete’s strengths and their weaknesses. As a result, injuries are less likely to occur in the future.
- Injury Treatment – Accidents may occur while training for and participating in football. It has been established that injuries that occur while engaging in contact sports are typically more severe than those that happen in other types of sports. If an injury does happen, physical therapy is a more cost-effective approach to treating the injury. Additionally, it aids in the healing process.
- Pain Management – The next benefit of physical therapy for football players is that it is an effective means of pain management. This helps to reduce a player’s dependence on prescription pain medications. Examples of pain management techniques utilized in physical therapy include taping, the use of hot packs and cold packs, and even dry needling.
- Increased Relaxation – While it is true that a warm-up session is required before training and playing football, it is also true that a cool-down session is required. Physical therapy can assist a player in relaxing immediately following workouts that are considered to be strenuous. Relaxation is important when it comes to the muscles, the individual’s energy levels, and general level of health.
- Strength Development – Physical therapy is highly beneficial to the strength development of a football player. By strengthening the muscles, the joints, and the ligaments, a player’s overall performance is strengthened. In turn, this helps the athlete to withstand exceptionally high levels of stress during training sessions and actual gameplay. Increased strength equals improved performance while on the field.
- Improved Flexibility – The general potential and performance of an athlete is highly dependent upon their level of joint flexion. The higher the flexibility, the lower risk of injury. Football players that participate in physical therapy are provided with exercises that help to optimize the general level of flexibility of the body. This is considered to be one of the main advantages associated with going through physical therapy as a football player.
- Cardiopulmonary Development – The cardiopulmonary system of the body is critical when it comes to playing football. Training programs designed by physical therapists help in building up both the endurance of the player and their general breathing patterns while engaging in contact sports. Additionally, it helps to improve the overall health of the player.
Is Sports Therapy the Same as Physical Therapy?
Many people believe that sports therapy and physical therapy are the same thing. Both provide services to those that engage in sports. There is one distinct difference, though. That is, the treatment provided.
In sports therapy, the treatments include many and that is including surgery. Physical therapy utilizes strengthening and stretching exercises that are designed to build the body, improve the healing process, and help in the prevention of and/or treatment of injuries that are incurred while participating in sports activities.
What is Sports Performance Therapy?
Sports performance therapy is a type of physical therapy. It helps athletes by providing both health services and wellness services. These services place an emphasis on helping people stay fit, helping them stay physically active, and ensuring that they are as healthy as possible.
Sports performance therapy is effective in preventing injuries, assisting in pain management, and ensuring optimal performance while engaging in sports. In short, this type of physical therapy helps in ensuring high levels of physical fitness and optimized health.
Contact Us Today
We here at Back to Motion Physical Therapy specialize in many different types of physical therapy – including programs that are designed for athletes – such as football players. If you are looking to strengthen the body, get a competitive edge on the field, recover from an injury, or simply improve your general level of health to improve your gameplay while on the field, we can assist you! We will work closely with you to create a customized care plan that will have you achieving your personal best – both on and off of the field. If you would like to learn about the services that we are currently offering to athletes or want to set up an appointment, contact us today by calling the following number: 303-832-5577