Shin splints are a common running overuse injury that involves inflammation of the tibia and surrounding muscles and tissues caused by repetitive stress placed on the lower leg. Shin splints commonly occur at the start of track and field season, when an athlete overexerts themselves or increases the frequency, duration, and intensity of their training too quickly such that the body cannot adjust to the stressor, leading to injury. Physical therapists can help athletes with shin splints recover pain-free movement, return to sport safely, and prevent future re-injury through a targeted exercise rehabilitation program.

MCL sprains or tears are the most common ski-related knee injury, accounting for up to 20% of all ski injuries and 60% of all ski-related knee injuries. An MCL injury can occur while skiing when pressure or hard contact from a collision or fall impacts the outside of the knee, straining or tearing the ligament. Physical therapy is the preferred treatment for the majority of MCL injuries, restoring function, mobility, stability, and strength to the MCL and knee joint through a targeted therapeutic exercise program.

Core strengthening has numerous benefits for an athlete’s fitness level and sports performance. The core muscles are the foundation of movement for the entire body, comprised of the abdominals, back muscles, diaphragm, hip muscles, and pelvic floor muscles. A physical therapist can assess an athlete’s core strength and design a core strengthening exercise program to enhance the strength, control, and endurance of their core muscles. Mangiarelli Rehabilitation physical therapy assistant Patti demonstrates several advanced core strengthening exercises on the blog.

Swimming is a dynamic sport that requires full body movement and coordination and a significant amount of power and endurance, placing significant stress on the shoulder joint. The intensity of competitive swimming training can increase the risk of common overuse injuries like swimmer’s shoulder, knee injury, or low back pain. Physical therapy can help swimmers prevent and address injuries through sport-specific training and a comprehensive rehabilitation program to improve strength, endurance, mobility, and shoulder stability. Check out our 5 tips to prevent injury in competitive swimming!

Basketball is a high-intensity sport, requiring running multi-directionally, shuffling the body laterally, jumping, and quick starts and stops. The intense physical demands of basketball heighten the risk of injury. Physical therapists work with basketball players to not only prepare them for a successful basketball season through a customized strength and conditioning program, but also address any in-season injuries and help athletes regain strength, mobility, balance, and function for a safe return to sport.

Improving an athlete’s sports performance with physical therapy can reduce the incidence of sports-related injuries by improving sports technique and body mechanics as well as enhancing the athlete’s strength, mobility, and power. Physical therapists can create a personalized sports conditioning and performance program to help athletes perform at an elite level. Check out 10 ways physical therapy can improve your sports performance!

Fall sports conditioning serves as a foundation upon which the sports season’s success is built and can help to reduce the number of in-season injuries. Fall sports conditioning involves a program of weight training and aerobic sport-specific conditioning that allows the athlete to slowly acclimate to the demands of the sport by gradually increasing the intensity and volume of their training over time. Check out our 8 tips for safe fall sports conditioning!

Agility training is a critical component of a comprehensive sports training program. Agility training involves a set of progressive exercises to improve an athlete’s agility, which is the ability to accelerate, decelerate, change direction, and react swiftly in multiple directions in response to unpredictable situations on the competitive sports field. Agility training is extremely beneficial for athletes of all sports, requiring strength, flexibility, and stamina to improve the body’s adaptability and reaction time to a stimulus or movement.