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What are PT specialists and why see them?
"Clinical specialization in physical therapy responds to a specific area of patient need and requires knowledge, skill, and experience that exceeds entry-level physical therapist practice and is unique to the specialized area of practice." - APTA
Have you ever seen your primary care doctor, and they referred you to an orthopedist, cardiologist, rheumatologist, etc?
Those physicians are specialists - residency and fellowship trained in a particular area of medicine, to offer expert knowledge in a specific field, because the human body is too complex for anyone to be an expert in all areas.
You wouldn't want brain surgery from a dermatologist, or an assessment of your rotator cuff tear from a cardiologist.
The same applies to physical therapy, but since physical therapists are general orthopedic practitioners, we're not as good at referring out to our own specialists.
If you have an sports related injury and are looking to return to your sport, it's likely that a sports specialist is best equipped to help you, though the orthopedic specialization overlaps greatly in early phases of injury management.
The APTA (American Physical Therapy Association) has a directory so you can find a specialist near you.
"The sports physical therapy specialty area involves the physiological, psychological, pathological, and performance problems of athletes and attempts to prevent or correct these problems." - APTA
The 10 Specialty Fields in Physical Therapy
The 10 Specialty Fields in Physical Therapy
- unique specialization shared between PT and OT
So what does it take to become a board-certified clinical specialist?
First, complete a 3 year Doctor of Physical Therapy program and pass boards
After you become a licensed therapist, you either:
Attend a 1 year accredited residency program OR
Document at least 2,000 hours working in the specialty area
Then sit for your specialist board exam
Sports Residency training and exam includes additional training in:
Sports Residency training and exam includes additional training in:
Sport specific movement analysis in dozens of sports
On field injury assessment / emergency injury management
Mentorship from sports physical therapists and athletic trainers
Concussion screening and rehab
Management of the adolescent athlete
Advanced return to sport testing / decision making
Transitioning from rehab to elite performance
Management of in season injuries - how to stay fit and keep performing while healing an injury
As a specialist who too often sees sports rehab mishandled by general practitioners, we believe in referring to other specialists
We often refer to certified hand therapists for complex hand injuries, or a pelvic health specialist for pelvic dysfunction
If you are unsure if we are the right specialist for you, shoot us an email, text, call, or request a free consult below
Our Areas of Expertise within Sports PT
Soccer injuries and performance training
Professionally, Ian worked with the Seattle Sounders USL team S2, and their academy U15 - U19 teams, served as the physio for a professional indoor soccer team in Denver for 2 years, and has stayed up-to-date on soccer rehab and sports performance research. On a personal level, he played competitive soccer his whole life, which has provided insight into the unique movements, and position-specific demands of the sport.
Gymnastics / acrobatic injuries
Ian spent 3 years working with a competitive youth gymnastics team in Colorado, and spent hundreds of hours of research, continuing education courses, and hands on treatment with these uniquely mobile athletes.
Racket sport injuries
We have worked with countless youth and recreational tennis, racquetball, and pickleball players, and pursued continuing education specifically to help this group stay on the courts.
Adolescent athletes
Growing bodies, developing brains, and minimal rest from activity create a unique set of challenges and injuries specific to this population: growth plate fractures, apophysitis, and avulsion fractures are just a few of the injuries we frequently treat in kids age 8-18.
Chronic pain and hypermobility disorders
We have direct, decades-long, personal experience with family members with chronic pain and illness, who have found powerful coping mechanisms through life changes and improved self-advocacy. We also have years of experience treating Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and hypermobility disorders.
Any sports related injury
We have also worked with many recreational and collegiate athletes in volleyball, running, powerlifting, weightlifting, basketball, wrestling, baseball, football, ultimate frisbee, table tennis, rowing, and thousands of kids and adults just trying to stay active throughout their life. With rare sports, we will work with you to analyze the unique movements of your sport and develop a plan to get you back to them.
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