If you’re an athlete or simply someone who thrives on an active lifestyle, being able to move freely and perform at the level you want is important to not only your physical health but your mental health and overall quality of life.

As an active person, the potential for injury — overuse, trauma or otherwise — can be high, especially as you age.

At The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio, our Sports Medicine team includes physical therapists who have specialty training and certifications above and beyond the basic requirements to be a physical therapist. They’re experts in treating athletes and the common injuries they face. With extensive backgrounds in many athletic settings, they have a unique and unparalleled understanding of the journey of recovery, from the moment injury occurs until the athlete returns to sport.

Our Sports Medicine physical therapists are skilled and trusted enough to work with The Ohio State University Buckeyes Athletics teams, the Cleveland Guardians and even Olympians — and this elite level of care is accessible for you to keep you at the top of your game.

What is sports medicine physical therapy?

Sports medicine physical therapy is one of many outpatient rehabilitation services offered throughout the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center. It focuses on therapeutic treatment and injury prevention of athletes at various levels, including professional, collegiate, recreational or high school.

The physical therapists embedded in Ohio State Sports Medicine also work with people who simply want to get back to some level of physical activity — running, lifting, cycling — after an injury or surgery.

While sports medicine physical therapists use many of the same techniques as other physical therapists, they know how to use these therapies to produce the desired results for those with an active lifestyle. They’re also attuned to the unique needs of athletes, their training regimens and love of the game.

Services offered in sports medicine physical therapy

Sports medicine physical therapists use a variety of strengthening, flexibility and mobility techniques to help athletes. Sometimes these are used post-surgery or as an alternative to surgery.

While some practices overlap with general physical therapy, aspects that set us apart include:

Antigravity training

This type of training reduces the impact of gravity on the body, allowing you to run at a fraction of your body weight. It’s done on a uniquely designed treadmill for injuries that make it difficult to bear weight on the lower extremity, helping you return to your activity goal faster.

Blood flow restriction (BFR)

This technique allows you to improve strength and muscle mass without the need for heavy resistance. This is beneficial for those who can't train with heavy resistance due to injury or surgery. A specialized device temporarily restricts blood flow to a muscle to create a metabolic stress, which allows the muscles to become stronger and bigger with low intensity.

Dry needling

An alternative pain relief technique, dry needling involves the insertion of a small, solid filament (needle) into a stressed muscle’s site of spasm and pain, also known as a trigger point. By doing so, the muscle relaxes, and blood flow increases to the area, alleviating pain and improving motion.

Advanced technology for physical therapy

In sports physical therapy, we use the latest technological advancements, such as force plates to measure asymmetry and balance or reaction-time lights, to help you recover your fitness after a loss of function.

We’re constantly adding to the technology available in our gyms.

Video assessment

We use high-tech equipment, such as tablets and cameras, to do in-depth assessments of the movement you need to perform at the level you want, including for endurance athletes. Examples of areas assessed through video and other technology include:

• Running gait
• Overhead throwing
• Bicycle fit
• Golf swing
• Swimming analysis
• Barbell technique

Who is a candidate for sports medicine physical therapy?

Physical therapists at Ohio State Sports Medicine treat a wide audience of people, though they all have something in common: They want to get back to physical activity beyond typical everyday movements.

People who might be good candidates include:

• Professional, semi-professional, collegiate or high school athletes and avid recreational athletes who want to return to sports after an injury or surgery.
• Active adults, including athletes, in need of alternatives to surgery to treat injuries or conditions.
• Athletes dealing with overuse injuries or osteoarthritis.
• Those who have had activity-related injuries causing balance deficits.
• Athletes wanting to learn better skills and techniques to prevent further or future injuries.
• Those who want to remain active but struggle with daily aches and pains.

What are the benefits of seeing a sports medicine physical therapist at Ohio State?

Physical therapy has many benefits for athletes and active adults, but being treated by a physical therapist who specializes in sports medicine elevates that impact.

Reasons why sports medicine physical therapy at Ohio State can improve your performance include:

• It’s the choice of professional, Olympic and other elite athletes. Our physical therapists provide care for Ohio State Buckeye athletes, Olympic teams, the Cleveland Guardians, the Columbus Clippers, BalletMet and other central Ohio sports organizations. You can receive the same care they do.
• Your therapist may specialize in the specific sport you play. Many of our practitioners specialize in treating athletes in a specific sport, such as baseball, basketball, running, the performing arts or even tactical athletes (firefighters, police officers). They’ve made it their life’s work to help people who play the sport you love.
• Our facilities are unparalleled in the region. Locations such as Bo Jackson's Elite Sports or Jameson Crane Sports Medicine Institute are state-of-the-art, with the latest equipment and technology needed to get you back to peak performance. We strive for all our facilities, including Outpatient Care Dublin and Outpatient Care New Albany, to be equipped with updated technology and equipment to provide the best care possible.
• Our team helps lead the nation in sports physical therapy research. As an academic medical center, we’re always innovating how we care for the athlete recovering from injury or surgery. For example, we’ve studied best practices for using jumping mechanics exercises to accelerate recovery from hip arthroscopy and improved dry needling practices by studying effects on knee and hip pain.

How to make an appointment with a sports medicine physical therapist

Call the central scheduling phone number for Outpatient Physical Therapy at 614-293-2001. Ask to work with one of our sports medicine physical therapists.