How Can Sports Physical Therapy Help Me?
Sports physical therapy can help you prevent or rehabilitate from a sports- or activity-related injury.
We work side by side with Duke sports medicine doctors in our sports medicine clinics throughout the Triangle. Our close interaction with your doctor means we work as a team to plan and provide your treatment. Depending on the severity of your injury, physical therapy may be the first treatment your doctor recommends. If your injury requires surgery, a sports physical therapist can help you prepare and oversee your physical rehabilitation after surgery.
Whether your goal is to walk your dog every day, play youth or collegiate sports, or return to professional sports, we will work with you to help you achieve your goals.
Sports Physical Therapy Treatments
We perform a comprehensive physical therapy evaluation to determine how your sports injury affects your range of motion, strength, and function. We then create a treatment plan and educate you on how to reach your goals. Our services cover the full range of physical therapy treatments, including:
Traditional Physical Therapy Exercises
Your physical therapist may have you perform exercises that focus on restoring your range of motion, strength, and proper biomechanics.
Blood Flow Restriction Training
Heavy strength training can be challenging immediately after injury or surgery. Blood flow restriction training uses light weights to limit blood flow during exercise. This allows you to strengthen your muscles safely without overstressing them as they heal.
Dry Needling
A “dry” needle -- one without medication or injection -- is inserted through the skin into irritable parts of the muscle, known as trigger points, that are causing pain or muscle tightness or restriction. Dry needling can promote pain relief and improved muscle activation.
Manual Therapy
Sports physical therapists who are certified in manual therapy use their hands to manipulate and mobilize joints. This enhances joint mobility, decreases pain associated with muscle spasm, and improves functional mobility.
Choosing Duke Sports Physical Therapy
Extensive Skills and Knowledge
Our therapists have skills and knowledge that cover the whole spectrum of sports physical therapy needs. Our sports physical therapists are specialists in age-specific concerns that can arise in young athletes or following joint replacement in older individuals. Others focus on activity-specific populations, including baseball pitchers, dancers, golfers, runners, throwers, and tennis players. In addition, we have staff trained in advanced physical therapy treatments such as concussion treatment, aquatic therapy, blood flow restriction training, and dry needling.
Certified and Licensed Athletic Trainers
Credentialing ensures your physical therapist has the advanced skills needed to treat your injury. While all of our physical therapists are licensed physical therapists, 60 percent of our staff are also certified and licensed athletic trainers.
Board-Certified in Sports Physical Therapy
Eighty percent of our eligible staff members are board-certified by the American Physical Therapy Association in sports physical therapy.
Advanced Equipment
Our facilities house the most advanced equipment, and our physical therapists are experts in the latest techniques and tools.
On-Site Care
Our physical therapists are on the field and in the training rooms at high schools and colleges, youth soccer leagues, dance studios, and gymnastic programs throughout the region. When an injury occurs, we provide care on-site and arrange for care at a nearby Duke clinic. We also offer walk-in orthopedic urgent care seven days a week.
Ongoing Research
Research conducted on-site at the Duke Sports Sciences Institute and throughout Duke helps us provide the best possible care.
