What’s the Difference Between a Physio and a Sports Therapist?

Physio vs Sports Therapist

At ProSport Physiotherapy our patients come to us to receive treatment in our step by step system that has been so successful that we now teach it to other therapists all over the world. Most recently, this system has seen our clinic director David O’ Sullivan headhunted by England Rugby Union to travel over to Japan for the Rugby World Cup. It’s been tried and tested at the highest level in professional sports, and over the last 10 years in private practice.

To ensure that all of our patients receive the highest quality of care during every session, we only employ clinical treatment staff. This means that the person you will see has undergone years of clinical training and has passed multiple competencies to gain registration with the Health and Care Professions Council or with the Society of Sports Therapists. All of our therapists are educated to at least Degree level, and are fully trained and insured to work with patients with musculoskeletal conditions and injuries (the type you would come to the clinic for).

All of our physios and our sports therapists will have completed at a minimum a 3 year degree. Our sports therapists will have spent the whole 3 years studying the human body in relation to the types of injuries you would come to the clinic for, such as back pain, sports injuries, post-op rehab etc. Our physios will have done similar, but they will also have spent time working in the hospital setting treating patients with other conditions that you wouldn’t typically come to the clinic for, such as rehabilitation after a stroke – and that’s the main difference between the two professions. In terms of musculoskeletal conditions that we treat in the clinic either profession will be equally able to get you back to doing the things you love the most.

To ensure that all of our staff are on a level playing field, any new staff member (no matter how experienced) must undergo 3 months of intensive training in our step by step system before they can treat clients in our clinics. In addition, we have constant team training and support to ensure that everybody that comes through our door gets the result that they are looking for.

You can, of course, request to specifically see any one of our physiotherapists or one of our sports therapists if you have received a recommendation or if you need to for insurance purposes (depending on availability), but whoever you see you can be assured that you will receive the highest quality of care.