Birmingham Physiotherapy

Sports physiotherapists diagnose and treat sports injuries, help individuals to get better and advise them on how to avoid similar injuries in the future. They work with top level professional sportspeople, as well as people who play sport recreationally.

They often work as part of a bigger team of sports scientists. The work may involve:

• examining and diagnosing injuries
• identifying the cause of an injury
• discussing the sportsperson's ambitions for the future
• devising an individual treatment plan.

Most sports physiotherapists work around 36 hours a week. The hours are irregular and can include early mornings, evenings and weekends. Sports physiotherapists may attend training sessions, fixtures and competitions, and accompany a team on tour.

Sports physiotherapists should:

• have excellent communication skills
• be good with their hands to carry out some treatments
• be able to motivate people
• have patience and empathy to treat people who are in pain
• be interested in sport and human biology.

Sports physiotherapy is a growing area of work within the broader field of physiotherapy. All sports physiotherapists have a grounding in general physiotherapy before specialising in sport. Entry is extremely competitive.

To become a sports physiotherapist it is necessary to have a physiotherapy degree approved by the Health Professions Council ( HPC).