Sports Therapy in Aurora, IL
If you have a sports injury, you want to get back into the game as soon as possible! At Physical Therapy Advantage, we understand, so we work with you one-on-one using a customized physical therapy program designed just for you.
Whether you are a professional athlete, weekend runner or a summer golfer, a tailored sports therapy treatment program eases your pain and gets you back to pre-injury form. Plus, your physical therapist includes therapies to prevent your next sprain, strain, or fracture and reteach your body how to move, jump, or run without injury.
Who Is It For (Hint: Not Just Pros)
You don't need to be a pro athlete to benefit from sports therapy. In Aurora, IL, Physical Therapy Advantage works with:
- High school and college athletes (soccer, basketball, baseball, track, swimming, etc.)
- Adult league players (softball, volleyball, hockey, pickleball)
- Runners and walkers (from 5Ks to marathons)
- Recreational lifters and CrossFit/bootcamp fans
- Golfers and tennis players are dealing with overuse pains
- Recreational and club athletes (elementary through college)
If you:
- Keep feeling the same pain every season.
- Have aches that appear every time you increase your training
- Feel stiff and slow after games instead of just "tired good."
What to Expect from Physical Therapy Advantage
If you think about cold equipment and boring workout sheets, entering a clinic can look daunting. Here is the actual scenario:
1) Personal Assessment
Your therapist will:
- Listen to your injury story and understand what you hope to accomplish. Note your movements during the specific set of movements in your activity. These might be squats, jumps, landings, cuts, sprints, or swings.
- Strength, flexibility, balance, and control should be checked in key areas. At the end of it all, you will know your body better than you did at the beginning.
2) Clear, Custom Plan-not One-Size-Fits-All
You will get a plan tailored for your sport and season that includes:
- Hands-on care to soothe agitated muscles and joints
- Exercise that targets explicitly and strengthens your weak points - building strength and power in those areas
- Mobility work for tight hips, ankles, shoulders, or spine
- Control and balance exercises to orient your body during rapid changes in the field.
- Sport-specific drills: for example, cutting, landing, swinging, sprint starts, deceleration
Sports injury physical therapy programs for athletes focus on the return of strength, flexibility, and sport function, not pain relief.
Types of Sports Injuries Treated
Sports injury physical therapy is effective for a wide range of problems, from sudden injuries to "slow burn" overuse issues. Common injuries treated at Physical Therapy Advantage include:
- Sprains and strains (ankle, knee, wrist, shoulder)
- Runner's knee and IT band pain
- Shin splints, stress fractures, shin sensations
- Injuries involving the rotator cuff muscles, as well as shoulder impingement, are common among throwers and swimmers
- Tennis elbow & Golfers elbow
- Hamstring muscle pulls & quadriceps strains
- Achilles tendon pain and plantar heel pain
Benefits of Sports Physical Therapy (Beyond "Just Healing")
Faster, Safer Return to Sport:
Instead of guessing what point you can jump back in on the program, you follow specific steps that are based on milestones of range of motion, strength, hopping, cutting, and sprinting, so that you don't return too soon or too late.
Reduced Risk of Re-Injury:
Your therapist finds areas where you're weak, which your sport always puts you under pressure. You might lack hip control or leg stability on one leg. When you strengthen those areas, you're less likely to get hurt.
Improved Performance:
They will notice that they move more effectively than before, that they have a smoother stroke or a more fluid jumping motion, and that results in more playing time and less downtime.
Reduces Use of Pain Meds Exercise, hands-on therapy, and education can reduce the need for taking drugs regularly.
FAQs
Q: Do I need sports injury physical therapy or a break?
If you experience recurring or prolonged pain, therapy will treat the cause of it.
Q: How quickly can you expect relief?
Some patients experience improvement within a few visits, while complete recovery can take weeks or months.
Q: Can PT help with injuries from years ago?
Yes. Many patients see improvement in injuries that were once thought to be only sprains or strains.
Q: Do I have to stop physical activity?
Not necessarily. Many active patients continue physical activity with a modified training schedule while working with PT.
Q: Do I need a referral from a doctor?
In Illinois, patients do not need a referral when seeking sports physical therapy.
