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Writer's pictureDr. W Zach Smith

Physical Therapy for High School Athletes

Updated: Jun 15, 2022

There are many different disciplines of physical therapy out there. There are your routine physical therapists. Those who treat low back pain and chronic types of injury. Some treat neurological conditions, some treat dizziness, and some treatment women's health conditions. Then there are some who specialize in sports and orthopedics. All of these areas of speciality require different skills. A therapist who is really good with pediatric chronic conditions, may not be the best physical therapist to help a baseball player rehab from an elbow injury.


At HIDEF we see this as a complex speciality that requires a therapist ready to take on the task. Due to the high level at which high school athletes perform, you need a therapist and clinic that is set up to get back to full on field performance.

We see an injury of an athlete as 2 separate treatment phases. There is the healing and recovery phase where we are going to allow the area of injury to recover while maintain strength and muscle mass, and then there is the phase that is the sports performance rehab where we aim to not only get our athlete back to 100% but beyond that in order to avoid similar future injuries.


In order to maximize rehab and sports performance we must apply the principals of exercise science and use strategic planning of exercise progression in order to get the desired result.


We work with athletes from a variety of sports including:

  • Football

  • Soccer

  • Basketball

  • Volleyball

  • Track & Field

  • Hockey

  • Bowling

  • Golf

  • Lacrosse

  • Swimming

  • Wrestling

  • Cheer

  • Dance

  • And many more!


When performing strength training it is important to work with someone who knws the science of strength. Many physical therapy clinics under-load their athletes, which will result in lack of strength gain. When looking at injuries, strength symmetry is one of the greatest predictors of injury. Studies show that 1% quad strength different from side to side can increase injury risk up to 5%. That being said, we need sufficient load in order to make progress. The principals of exercise that we use to regain strength and improve performance include:

  • Eccentric loading

  • Progressive overload

  • Metabolic overload

  • Plyometric training

These strategies will help to stimulate muscle growth and maximize strength gains. In order to further take advantage of these mechanics we often use blood flow restriction training. If you want to read more about BFRT then check out this link .


Some of the common sports injuries of high school athletes that we treat include:

  • ACL reconstruction (Anterior cruciate ligament)

  • Achilles tear

  • Jumper's knee | Runner's knee

  • Shin splints

  • Labrum tear

  • Wrist sprain

  • Baseball throwing injuries including elbow and shoulder


If you or your child needs help to feel better and achieve optimal performance in their sport click here to book a visit at a clinic near you!

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