Why Athletic Therapy?

To be honest, if you haven’t already had an experience with a Certified Athletic Therapist or been told by someone else that has, we aren’t usually your first call when it comes to getting treatment.  Athletic Therapist doesn’t roll off the tongue as easily as Chiro or Physio, and we are definitely recognized less than massage.

We are usually known as the people helping out at the football field, the hockey arena, or taping an ankle.  In reality, a Certified Athletic Therapist is trained to not only prevent and deal with emergent/acute injuries, but take you from that first painful moment to the one where you step back into the field of play.  For some people, that might be a sport, a firefighter getting back to shift, a person able to work at their desk without a headache or pain, or even getting down on the floor to play with your kids.

Most of our clients find our doors after trying countless other therapies without result.  Many have had manual therapy with very little rehabilitation exercise, and others were given harder exercises than they were ready for, without correcting the faulty movement mechanics at the root of their pain.  Everyone deserves to get the treatment they see their favorite athletes receiving, including the diligent baseline work they put in with their Athletic Therapist before they did that big exciting exercise (yes, even a professional athlete has done some band work).

Athletic Therapy works on the principle that you do as much as you can safely do, as soon as possible.  You have an assessment that not only looks at the area that is hurting, but your posture, and how you move in walking, sitting, or the technique to which you perform your required activities to determine what caused your pain.  We rely on our manual skills to work on the tissues to reduce pain versus modality machines, only using them when necessary.

Return to activity/play is our specialty.  This can look different for every person; some will start out in the gym while others are learning proper muscle recruitment patterns before they transition further.  We break down the movements that a person wants to do, sometimes so small they are unrecognizable and add load or components until the person is stronger than they were pre-injury.  With every person, athlete or not, being very specific to correcting a breakdown in proper pattern is key.

This results in getting clients better, faster, and staying that way longer.

Ashley Kucher CAT(c), BPE

Owner/Certified Athletic Therapist

*Most insurance companies provide coverage for Certified Athletic Therapy visits. Check with your insurance provider to find out what your specific benefit plan entails.  Don't have coverage? Be sure to request it!*