{"id":4332,"date":"2024-07-15T08:00:17","date_gmt":"2024-07-15T07:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/joblookup.com\/explore\/?p=4332"},"modified":"2024-07-22T10:30:14","modified_gmt":"2024-07-22T09:30:14","slug":"sports-therapist-career-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/joblookup.com\/explore\/sports-therapist-career-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Sports Therapist Career Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"row mb-4 mb-lg-2\">\n<div class=\"col-lg-9 my-auto\">\nWith the fitness industry growing faster than ever, more and more people are participating in sports and exercise. As a result, the number of people acquiring sports-related injuries is also increasing.<\/p>\n<p>There is a whole industry of professionals supporting injured sports enthusiasts and athletes back to full health. In this career guide, we\u2019ll take a closer look at the role of a <b>Sports Therapist<\/b> whose sole focus is working with people with sports injuries.<\/div>\n<div class=\"col-lg-3 text-center my-auto\">\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/explore\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/38687254_8547071.jpg\" alt=\"Sports Therapist Career Guide\" class=\"img-fluid img-thumbnail\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"font-weight-bold h3\">Role of a Sports Therapist<\/h2>\n<hr>\n<p><b>Sports therapists<\/b> support people who have sports-related injuries as they heal and return to full fitness. Patients (or clients) include adults and children, from amateur enthusiasts to elite athletes. A <a href=\"\/[[country]]\/sports-therapist-jobs\">sports therapist job<\/a> involves early intervention when an injury has occurred by recognising and diagnosing an injury, creating a treatment and rehabilitation plan, and supporting patients as they recover. Educating sports people and helping prevent injury are key factors in this job.<\/p>\n<p>Sports therapists often complement their role with skills and expertise from other disciplines that may benefit the same client group, such as sports coaching, personal training, sports massage, and acupuncture. They must also know when to refer an injured person to another healthcare professional, like a <a href=\"\/explore\/healthcare-and-medical-career-guide\/\">doctor<\/a> or physiotherapist, for additional medical support.<\/p>\n<p>Places of work can include gyms, amateur or low-level sports clubs, professional sporting clubs, healthcare providers, rehabilitation clinics and physiotherapy centres. Practitioners often work across multiple settings on a self-employed basis.<br \/>\n&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"font-weight-bold h3\">Salary and Career Progression<\/h2>\n<hr>\n<p><b>Sports therapy<\/b> is a professional role that requires degree-level education, and salaries are typically in the mid to high range. In the UK, newly qualified sports therapists can expect to earn around \u00a318,000 to \u00a324,000, while their US-based counterparts start their careers at around $50,000.<\/p>\n<p>More experienced and senior sports therapists can earn upwards of \u00a340,000 in the UK and $72,000 in the US. The NHS has recently created job roles for sports therapists to work along musculoskeletal (MSK) teams, typically made up of physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and other allied healthcare professionals, opening up more career opportunities for UK-based practitioners.<br \/>\n&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"font-weight-bold h3\">Qualifications, Education and Experience<\/h2>\n<hr>\n<p><b>Sports therapists<\/b> may find the following qualifications, education and experience beneficial:<\/p>\n<p><b>UK<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Five or more GCSEs at grades 4-9<\/li>\n<li>2-3 A Levels or equivalent to access university<\/li>\n<li>A Bachelor\u2019s degree accredited by The Society of Sports Therapists (not compulsory, but required by most employers)<\/li>\n<li>Membership of The Society of Sports Therapists<\/li>\n<li>A Masters in Sports Therapy<\/li>\n<li>DBS check if working with children or vulnerable adults<\/li>\n<li>Emergency first aid training<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>US<\/b><\/p>\n<p>In the United States, a sports therapist must first qualify as a physical therapist and then specialise to become a sports therapist (also called a sports physical therapist).<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>High school diploma<\/li>\n<li>An undergraduate degree in a related field, such as exercise science or sports science<\/li>\n<li>A Doctor of Physical Therapy degree, accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education<\/li>\n<li>Pass the National Physical Therapy exam before obtaining a license to practice in your state<\/li>\n<li>Pass the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties exam to specialise in sports therapy<\/li>\n<li>Certified emergency first aid and CPR training<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"text-center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/explore\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/2149173479.jpg\" class=\"img-fluid img-thumbnail\" alt=\"Skills\" \/><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"font-weight-bold h3\">Skills<\/h2>\n<hr>\n<p>Sports therapists need particular skills that enable them to do their job well, including the following:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Excellent communication skills<\/li>\n<li>Patience and understanding<\/li>\n<li>Ability to stay calm in a crisis<\/li>\n<li>Therapy techniques, including sports massage, ultrasound therapy and electrotherapy<\/li>\n<li>Physical fitness and strength<\/li>\n<li>Results-driven approach<\/li>\n<li>Self-motivated and driven<\/li>\n<li>Willingness to work outside of office hours and outside in all weathers if accompanying clients to matches or games<\/li>\n<li>Sound knowledge of anatomy and physiology<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"font-weight-bold h3\">Working Hours<\/h2>\n<hr>\n<p>In most cases, sports therapists see patients as outpatients in a clinical setting between office hours of 9am to 5pm.<\/p>\n<p>However, a sports therapist who works with competitive athletes may need to be present at the side of the pitch, court, or ring to provide real-time first aid and trauma treatment. Therefore, they must be available to work when required to cover these events.<br \/>\n&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"font-weight-bold h3\">Notable Locations<\/h2>\n<hr>\n<p>In the UK, locations with large NHS sites, densely populated cities, or places with institutions known for sports provision, like Loughborough in Leicestershire, provide promising career opportunities for sports therapists. The 92 professional football clubs across the UK also employ sports therapists to support their players.<\/p>\n<p>Key locations include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>London<\/li>\n<li>Manchester<\/li>\n<li>Loughborough<\/li>\n<li>Liverpool<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Sports is big business in the US, and sports therapists can find career opportunities in every state. Consider locations with individuals and teams participating in major tournaments in basketball, football, baseball, ice hockey, tennis, and other top-level sports.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Gulf Breeze, FL<\/li>\n<li>Vail, CO<\/li>\n<li>Los Angeles, CA<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"font-weight-bold h3\">Notable Companies<\/h2>\n<hr>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"mb-2\">Chelsea Football Club: London-based professional club invests in optimising the performance of its players with sports therapy and injury prevention<\/li>\n<li class=\"mb-2\">English Institute of Sports: Headquarters in Buckinghamshire and various hub locations around the UK support sports organisations and athletics governing bodies<\/li>\n<li class=\"mb-2\">Andrews Institute for Orthopedics and Sports Medicine: Sports therapy services linked to a renowned orthopaedic surgeon known for working with top-level athletes<\/li>\n<li>National Basketball Association (NBA): Sports association comprising around 30 basketball teams across the United States and Canada, with each team employing a support group of sports therapists and physical therapists<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"font-weight-bold h3\">Next Steps<\/h2>\n<hr>\n<p><a href=\"\/jbe\/create\">Sign up<\/a> to JobLookup for the latest sports therapist jobs straight to your inbox. To start your job search today, read <a href=\"\/explore\/the-ultimate-jobseeker-guide\/\">The Ultimate Jobseeker Guide<\/a> for tips and advice on landing your next role.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With the fitness industry growing faster than ever, more and more people are participating in sports and exercise. As a result, the number of people &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":4327,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4332","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sectors"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/joblookup.com\/explore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4332","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/joblookup.com\/explore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/joblookup.com\/explore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joblookup.com\/explore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joblookup.com\/explore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4332"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/joblookup.com\/explore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4332\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4349,"href":"https:\/\/joblookup.com\/explore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4332\/revisions\/4349"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joblookup.com\/explore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4327"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/joblookup.com\/explore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4332"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joblookup.com\/explore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4332"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joblookup.com\/explore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4332"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}