March madness is underway, and hundreds of college basketball players have descended upon Indianapolis with hopes of cutting down the nets. And while the high school basketball season just recently ended, many young athletes are looking forward to a short offseason before jumping back in with a club or travel team during the summer. Even older adults may be looking for a recreational program to join as the weather warms up. As basketball activity gears up, we want to take some time to talk about how physical therapy can help take your game to the next level. That’s the focus of today’s blog.
Physical Therapy For Basketball Players
A lot of people think that a physical therapist only helps an athlete when they are recovering from an injury. We do treat a number of athletes working their way back onto the court after injury or surgery, but that’s far from our only calling. We can also help uninjured athletes improve their quickness or reduce their injury likelihood. Here’s a number of things we can do for the injured and uninjured basketball player to take their game up a notch.
The Injured Basketball Player
Returning to the hardwood after an injury or surgery takes patience and hard work. Because you’re running on a much harder surface than a football field or a soccer pitch, you need to make sure your body is prepared to handle the full load of stress that comes with every step. If your ankle ligaments are damaged after a sprain or you tweaked a muscle in your back and it never fully recovered because you skipped PT, you’re one misstep away from injury.
That’s where a physical therapist comes in. We can tailor your physical therapy routine to your injury, your goals and even your game. By targeting the recovering issue, we can help to:
- Stabilize the area
- Reduce risk of subsequent injury
- Help you come back stronger than you were before the injury
- Improve your quickness, your vertical and your conditioning
- Ease you back into activity at the right pace
The Uninjured Basketball Player
The uninjured basketball player also has plenty to gain from connecting with a physical therapist. We can talk about your goals and develop a strength training program to target deficient muscle groups or to build on a strong base. We can also explain how oft-overlooked areas of your body like your core can be essential to giving you the leg up on the competition when you’re boxing out or going up for a rebound.
But it’s not just physical strength that we can target through our programs. We also have agility and coordination training that can help you maintain your balance while you absorb contact or make all the difference when you reach in for a steal. Basketball is a game of inches and split second motions, and if you can be quicker to react than your opponent, it can make all the difference. Let us work to improve your quickness, reactions and coordination through an agility-based therapy routine.
So if you’re looking to make varsity this year or you just want to make it through another rec league season without injury, consider setting up an appointment with a physical therapist. We can set you up with a routine that you perform on your own, or we can develop a regular in-person routine based on your needs and preferences. A large portion of our staff are former basketball players, so they understand the game and how their exercises can help you improve on the court. For more information, or to set up that first session, give the team at OrthoRehab Specialists a call today.
PT of Costa Rican National Soccer Team for 2007 World Cup in Victoria, CAN. Clinical Instructor for University of Minnesota Doctor of Physical Therapy Affiliations
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