Sports physiotherapy is a specialization within physiotherapy that plays a key role in prevention, education, and advice for anyone who wants to start exercising or practices sports as a hobby or profession.
In sports physiotherapy, a therapist treats clients who want to return to work and/or resume sports after illness or injury. They also guide and advise experienced athletes who aim to perform at prominent level. In their practice, the sports physiotherapist also works with other (vulnerable) groups, such as the elderly and children, for whom sports used as part of the therapy.



Most complaints for which people visit a sports physiotherapist involve injuries to the knee, ankle, and shoulder. Sports physiotherapy not only focuses on the recovery of the affected joints but can also aim to train the parts of the body that are still load-bearing.
The sports physiotherapist often works in a specially equipped practice or in a sports medicine department of a hospital, where sports physiotherapy can easily apply. Increasingly, they are also employed by sports clubs and sports federations. In addition, they work closely and intensively with other healthcare professionals, such as sports physicians, surgeons, and sports massage therapists, as well as with those responsible for occupational health policies in companies.