As mentioned above, there are many ways in which a physical therapist can support a softball player. Here are some of the services that we offer to players to support them in their careers as a player:

Movement and Performance Analyses

While having fun should always be a priority for any athlete, let’s face it, being the best player you can is probably high on your list as well. Being able to perform at your best requires that your body has enough strength, power, endurance, flexibility, etc. to not only perform your role on the field but also to manage the high training volumes on the field and in the training room. As movement experts, your physical therapist can assess your form with common training exercises like deadlifts, squats, bench press, plyometrics, and upper body exercises and give you insight on how to optimize the movements to enhance effectiveness and also decrease injury risk. Similarly, they can analyze common movement patterns utilized during softball play and determine if there are areas of weakness or impairments that should be addressed through a comprehensive training program.

This is often done as part of a program to address injury or complaints of pain, tightness or soreness with training. Early identification of errors in form or impairments in areas such as strength or flexibility is paramount for optimizing training and performance.

Injury rehabilitation

Physical therapists are trained extensively in injury rehabilitation. Like all athletes, softball players are at risk for experiencing injuries that can impact their ability to continue playing. These injuries can occur during practice, during games and even in the training room. Some examples of injuries that physical therapists treat in softball players are as follows:

• Ligament sprains
• Muscle strains
• Muscle contusions
• Rotator cuff injuries
• Shoulder labral tears
• Elbow injuries
• Shoulder instability
• Knee and ankle ligament injuries
• Wrist sprains or tendonitis
• Fractures
• Concussions
• Overuse injuries

If you decide to work with a physical therapist to help correct your softball related issues, your entire treatment plan could consist of around 8-20+ different physical therapy sessions that will each last 60-90 minutes. Once you complete your customized physical therapy treatment plan, you will be able to continue to do the prescribed stretches and exercises utilized during your softball PT sessions yet in the comfort of your own home.

Identify and address the underlying cause of an injury

While full recovery and return to play is the ultimate goal when it comes to injury rehabilitation, a physical therapist has much more to offer. We are interested in identifying the factors that may have predisposed you to the injury in the first place so that we can make a plan to address them. This helps decrease your risk for future injury. Here are some factors that we look for when assessing a player:

• Muscle strength, power and endurance
• Flexibility and mobility in muscles and joints
• Sleep, nutrition and recovery time
• Training schedule
• History of prior injury
• The physical demands of a player’s position on the team
• Other sports and activities in which the player is involved