1. Kayla Mortellaro <br />April 27, 2010<br />Final project story<br />Therapy Solutions: Helping athletes recover better<br />By: Kayla Mortellaro<br />Physical therapy is more than just a service to treat the old and failing muscles as people age, it is a necessity for the competitive athlete. <br />Therapy Solutions in Moscow provides a variety of services to the community who need rehabilitation from an injury or surgery. Sports rehabilitation is just one of the many services Therapy Solutions provide but sporting injuries are becoming more popular with the advancements of equipment and style of play. <br />“People are seeing the benefit in rehabilitating an injury to a new and better state now,” Dawn Doerzbacher, physical therapist said. <br />Therapy Solutions, which is a branch of Gritman Medical Center, has ten qualified physical therapists with specialized training in sport rehab. <br />The University of Idaho athletic department works closely with Therapy Solutions, said Noel Fountain, office staff for the physical therapy center. <br />“We work with the athletes after surgery or an injury to get them back on the field healthier than before,” Fountain said. <br />“It is important to get the athlete to have more mobility and in better shape than before the injury happened,” Doerzbacher said. “This will help prevent the athlete from reinjuring the muscle.” <br />The therapists will work closely with the doctor to assure the athlete is ready to play the sport without furthering the injury, the Gritman medical Web site said. <br />The most common athletes from UI are football players and track and field, Fountain said. Some of the injuries seen are knee, ankle, and shoulder related. But muscle and hamstring pulls are very common. <br />All of these injuries require physical therapy to prevent further injury and rehabilitate the weak muscles. <br />“When working with athletes, not only are we trying to get them in better physical form, we are trying to educate them to prevent these kinds of injuries,” Doerzbacher said. “Before an athlete is ready to play in competition, they need to heat the muscle and ice it upon completion of competition.” <br />During the rehabilitation process, physical therapists are working on improving the athletes’ range of motion, Doerzbacher said. <br />For a knee injury, the therapist will try to get the athlete to improve flexibility to 0 degrees of extension and 140 degrees of bend. It is also important to strengthen the quad and hamstring muscles, she said. This can be accomplished by having the athlete perform straight leg raises. <br />http://www.slideshare.net/Kmortellaro/exercises-3905631 <br />Shoulder injuries are common as well and also require a build- up of range of motion. The preferred angle is 0 degrees of extension, 180 degrees of flexion, 180 degrees of abduction, and 90 degrees of rotation, internally and externally, Doerzbacher said. To achieve this, Dorezbacher recommends a ladder type exercise with the athlete’s fingers moving along the wall. <br />The focus of physical therapy is to achieve mobility and independence for the patient so they can return to a daily routine at home, the Gritman medical Web site said. For athletes, not only is a daily routine important but returning to the sport they love to play is one of the first things on their mind. <br />This is the job the physical therapist has to adequately get their muscles rebuilt and conditioned for physical activity, Doerzbacher said. <br />### <br />