What is Sports Physiotherapy and What Injuries Does It Treat?

Sports physiotherapy focuses on preventing, assessing, and treating injuries related to physical activity, both in experienced athletes and in people who exercise for health. Its main goal is to restore function, reduce pain, and support a safe and gradual return to movement.

What is Sports Physiotherapy?

Sports physiotherapy combines manual techniques, therapeutic exercise, and prevention strategies to address muscle, tendon, and joint injuries related to sports. It also includes rehabilitation tailored to specific sports movements to help prevent re-injury.

It is a key specialty for:

Improving performance
Correcting compensations and inefficient movement patterns
Reducing the risk of injury
Ensuring a safe return to training

Benefits of Sports Physiotherapy

Reduced pain and inflammation
Faster and more functional recovery
Improved mobility and strength
Movement re-education
Prevention of re-injury
Support during return to sport

What Are the Most Common Injuries Treated in Sports Physiotherapy?

Knee injuries

Very common in running, paddle tennis, football, and strength training:

Meniscus injuries (mild to moderate cases)
Patellar tendinitis / patellar tendinopathy
Iliotibial band syndrome
Patellofemoral pain / chondromalacia
Ligament sprains and strains
Quadriceps or hamstring overloads

Ankle and foot injuries

Generally caused by impact, jumps, or changes of direction:

Ankle sprain (grade 1, 2, and 3)
Plantar fasciitis
Achilles tendinopathy
Metatarsalgia
Rehabilitation after stress fracture

Shoulder injuries

Common in gyms, paddle tennis, swimming, or functional training.

Supraspinatus tendinitis
Rotator cuff overload
Shoulder instability (SLAP)
Subacromial bursitis
Subacromial impingement

Muscle injuries

Common at any level of sports practice:

Muscle overloads
Muscle tears (hamstrings, calves, rectus femoris, soleus…)
Epicondylitis
Lower back pain associated with exercise
Tendinopathies or gluteus medius hypotonia

When to see a sports physiotherapist?

Seek an assessment if:

Pain appears during or after training.
A discomfort prevents you from performing normally.
You feel instability in your knee, ankle, or shoulder.
You have suffered an injury and want a safe recovery.
You get injured frequently or don’t know how to prevent relapses.

At Movo Sport, we are specialists in sports physiotherapy and return-to-sport rehabilitation.

We tailor each treatment to the type of sport, the individual’s level, and their goals, helping you return to training safely and without pain.

If you have an injury or discomfort that limits your performance, at our physiotherapy clinic in Barcelona we provide a personalized assessment and design a recovery plan specific to your sport and needs.