Sports physiotherapy

Sports physiotherapy - For everyone who challenges their body

"But I'm not an elite athlete"

We hear this a lot. Usually from people who train three times a week, play for a club, sign up for a race, or go bouldering every weekend.

Sports physiotherapy has its roots in elite sports. That’s true. But the question isn't what level you play at, but whether your body is regularly challenged. And it is, as soon as you train.

Anyone who plays sports has athletic goals. Whether it's a season in the third division or a half-marathon in the spring: the path to getting there works the same way.

What defines sports physiotherapy

Sports physiotherapy combines three areas that are often kept separate:

• Physiotherapy: diagnosis, manual techniques, and post-injury rehabilitation
• Sports science: training theory, movement analysis, and performance diagnostics
• Sports medicine: sports injuries, tissue healing, and return to sport after illness or surgery

The result: We don't just treat what hurts; we also look at how you train, how you load your body, and how you recover.

Being pain-free is not the same as being resilient

After an injury, there is a moment almost everyone knows: it doesn't hurt anymore. The knee feels okay. It’s tempting to just get back to it.

This is exactly where most setbacks happen. Being pain-free often occurs much sooner than tendons, ligaments, and muscles are fully resilient again. Their load capacity must be rebuilt before they can withstand the full demands of your sport.

That’s why we don’t just wait for things to feel good: we test. For example, with side-to-side jump and strength tests, balance and mobility tests, or movement analysis. This way, you see in black and white exactly where you stand.

Pain is neither a good reason to stop immediately nor a reliable sign that everything is back to normal. That’s why we measure instead of guessing.

Four things we take care of

1. Prevention
   Injuries rarely come out of nowhere. There are usually warning signs: a significantly weaker side, REDs (Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport), or a week where the training load suddenly spikes. We identify these areas and work on them specifically.

2. Building up
   After an injury or surgery, the return to sport happens in stages: first calming things down, then building strength and control, followed by sport-specific movements (jumping, sprinting, pivoting, changing direction), and finally returning to training and competition. Your body’s load capacity must be rebuilt in a targeted way so that it can truly withstand the demands of your sport. This happens progressively and is individually tailored—step by step, rather than all at once. Moving to the next stage depends on performance tests, not a calendar date.

3. Managing load
   How much can your body handle right now, and how can its load capacity be systematically increased? This question is just as relevant in training as it is in rehab. Sleep, stress, recovery, and nutrition are all part of the answer, which is why we discuss them as well.

4. Moving forward
   Sometimes nothing is injured, yet you still feel stuck. That is also a reason to come see us. Often, the cause is a technical detail, a weak point, or an ineffective training plan.

Progress happens during rest

Training doesn't make you stronger. Training plus recovery makes you stronger. If you keep pushing without giving your body time to adapt, you won't get better—you'll just get tired and eventually get injured.

That is why recovery is an integral part of sports physiotherapy: it’s about planning your load throughout the week, not just getting a massage at the end.

And what if the pain persists?

Sometimes everything heals, the tests look good, and it still hurts. That is not in your head, and it is not a reason to just "tough it out."

Persistent pain follows its own rules. In these cases, you need a different perspective—one that looks at movement, sleep, stress, and your own beliefs about your body. We are well-equipped for this: in our practice, we work closely with pain physiotherapy specialists and maintain an interdisciplinary exchange.

The advantage for you: everything is under one roof, communication is seamless, and you don't have to tell your story twice.

So, who is sports physiotherapy for?

• For anyone who exercises regularly: in a club, at the gym, outdoors, or in competition.
• After an injury or surgery, when you want to return safely.
• For recurring issues that keep appearing in the same spot.
• Before an intensive season or training phase.
• If you are unsure whether you are truly ready to return.
• If you aren't making progress despite your training.

Who will be working with you

Tatiana is your dedicated contact for sports physiotherapy. She is a certified sports physiotherapist (SPT).

When appropriate, she coordinates with doctors, coaches, and, in cases of persistent pain, our pain management physiotherapists.

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