When someone suffers an injury that changes the way they perform their activities of daily living, they often seek professional advice and search for a physiotherapy clinic to get them back to their regular routine. Many people are familiar with physiotherapy, so when comparing athletic therapy vs physiotherapy, they naturally lean toward what they know. However, athletic therapists can also play a key role in guiding someone through the healing process.
A frequently asked question is “what is the difference between athletic therapy and physiotherapy?”. There are many similarities between the two professions in a clinical setting.
What is Athletic Therapy?
Athletic therapy is the study of musculoskeletal injuries; these are injuries that involve muscles, bones, tendons, ligaments, and nerves. Much of the general population has a misconception about athletic therapists by their title, thinking they only treat athletes. This is not the case! Athletic therapists are able to treat all varieties of musculoskeletal injuries, whether it is a result of sports, daily life, motor vehicle accident, or workplace incident.
Who are Athletic Therapists?
To hold the title of athletic therapist in Canada, students go through a 4 Bachelor of Kinesiology – Athletic Therapy degree program in an accredited university recognized by the Canadian Athletic Therapists Association (CATA). Once this education is complete, athletic therapy students go through an exit exam provided by their university that tests both their clinical and field assessment skills. After passing the exit exam, they are allowed to write the national exam. Upon meeting the passing grade for the national exam, they can call themselves a certified athletic therapist, noted by the designation CAT(C). To maintain good standing with CATA, athletic therapists are required to hold certification in CPR-Basic Life Support, while many also hold a sport first responder certificate.
What does an Athletic Therapist do?
In a clinical setting, athletic therapists perform a thorough subjective assessment, which includes asking questions about the mechanism of injury (the ‘how’), how long someone has been dealing with their pain, any abnormalities resulting from the condition, factors leading up to the injury if applicable, among other relevant questions to determine what could be going on. They then move on to an objective assessment to see how you are moving, what causes pain, and perform special tests to rule out or confirm suspected injuries. After that, you will receive an individualized plan of care and home exercise program to execute to aid in the recovery of your condition, as well as an expected timeline of healing and how frequently you should see your therapist in the clinic. Athletic therapists can differentially diagnose a variety of musculoskeletal injuries based on how signs and symptoms present in the clinic. If they feel your condition is outside their scope of practice to treat or could benefit from additional treatments, they can recommend other healthcare professionals to assist in your healing.
Aside from working in a clinical setting, athletic therapists are often seen in a sports setting, where the sport first responder certification comes with great importance. If an athlete is injured on the field of play, the athletic therapist is the first on scene, where they conduct a primary survey to determine the severity of the injury and if emergency medical services (EMS) need to be called. If there is no necessity for EMS, the athletic therapist will then move to a secondary survey and assess the area of injury. They will decide how to proceed from there, whether that is return to play with preventative measures such as taping or bracing or removal from play. This is often followed by a clinical assessment as described above.
You can find a certified athletic therapist in your area on the Canadian Athletic Therapists Association website at:
https://athletictherapy.org/resources/memberdirectory
What Are the Benefits of Athletic Therapy?
Athletic therapy focuses on the prevention, assessment, and rehabilitation of musculoskeletal injuries. It’s used by athletes, active individuals, and anyone recovering from physical injury. There are many key benefits resulting from seeing an athletic therapist, as listed below.
Faster Injury Recovery: Athletic therapists specialize in treating sprains, strains, fractures, dislocations, and soft tissue injuries. They use targeted techniques like manual therapy, exercise prescription, and modalities to speed healing.
Improved Mobility and Function: Athletic therapy helps restore joint mobility, muscle balance, and proper movement patterns. This reduces stiffness and compensations that can hinder performance or daily activities.
Injury Prevention: Athletic therapists assess biomechanics, muscle imbalances, and movement inefficiencies. They create personalized programs to reduce the risk of future injuries.
Enhanced Athletic Performance: By strengthening weak areas, improving flexibility, and optimizing technique, therapy can elevate performance levels.
Pain Reduction: Manual therapy, therapeutic exercise, taping, and modalities (eg. heat, ice, electrical stimulation) help reduce acute and chronic pain.
Safe Return-to-Play Decision Making: Athletic therapists evaluate readiness using functional tests and sport-specific criteria, decreasing the chance of re-injury.
On-Field Emergency Care: Certified athletic therapists are trained in immediate injury assessment, concussion management, and emergency response at practices and games.
Holistic, Personalized Treatment Plans: Programs consider the individual’s sport, lifestyle, and goals, making treatment highly tailored.
Education and Self-Management: Athletic therapists teach proper movement, ergonomics, warm-ups, and recovery strategies, empowering clients to manage their own health.
Physiotherapy
In a private clinical setting, physiotherapy and athletic therapy share many similarities. Both professions are skilled in orthopedic assessment and treatment. However, physiotherapists are also trained in cardiorespiratory, neurological, vestibular, and pelvic floor systems. These may include advanced conditions such as, but not limited to, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), stroke rehabilitation, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, vertigo, and pelvic floor dysfunction or pain.
Conclusion
Both athletic therapy and physiotherapy aim to reduce pain, restore function, and improve physical performance, but they differ in focus and scope.
Athletic therapy specializes in musculoskeletal injuries, particularly those caused by sport, physical activity, or lifestyle demands. It excels in on-field injury management, sport-specific rehab, and returning active individuals to high performance quickly and safely.
Physiotherapy has a broader medical scope, treating not only musculoskeletal conditions but also neurological, cardiorespiratory, pediatric, and geriatric issues. Physiotherapists often work in hospitals, clinics, and rehabilitation centers with a wider variety of patient populations.
In essence, choose athletic therapy if you’re dealing with a sport-related or activity-related injury and want a performance-focused approach. Choose physiotherapy if you need treatment for a broader range of health conditions or require medical rehabilitation beyond the musculoskeletal system.
About Kate Wiens
Kate pursued Athletic Therapy after growing up playing sports (primarily hockey and softball) and became interested in the field after seeing a wide range of injuries and how they could be managed. She has spent the last 8 years working with hockey teams (3 years working AAA through university & 5 years in the MJHL). During her time in hockey, she has seen a variety of injuries and have gotten to channel her creativity with therapeutic rehabilitation, alongside utilizing her first responder skills. Growing up on a farm, she always loved being outside and decided to recently take up golf as a summer activity. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends and family (as well as her dog), going to the gym, and exploring the outdoors!
