Recover from injury and get back to the activities that matter to you.
Athletic Therapy
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Move better. Feel stronger.
Athletic therapy focuses on the treatment, prevention, assessment, and active rehabilitation of musculoskeletal (muscle, bone, and joint) injuries for individuals of all ages.
Athletic therapy helps you safely and efficiently recover from injuries, manage pain, and get back to moving with confidence. And despite the name, you don’t have to be an athlete to benefit.
Whether you’re recovering from a sports injury, dealing with an ongoing muscle or joint issue, or trying to return to work, exercise, or everyday activities, your athletic therapist will look at how your body moves and what may be getting in the way.
Get back to the activities that matter
Athletic Therapy can help you with:
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Managing soft tissue injuries, such as sprains, strains and tears to muscles, tendons and ligaments
Joint issues, such as managing arthritis, chronic stiffness and persistent pain
Supporting recovery from both new and long-standing injuries
Can help with issues throughout your entire body, including back, neck, shoulder, hip, and knee pain
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Tailored post-operative recovery protocols
Safe management of healing bone fractures
Protected loading to safeguard sensitive tissues while they heal
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Rebuilding strength, mobility, and flexibility
Restoring optimal balance, stability, and neuromuscular control
Improving balance, coordination and agility specific to your activities and goals
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Comprehensive posture, gait, and functional movement screening to identify limitations
Tailored, activity-specific exercises and training programs to build resilience and support performance
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Use an evidence-based approach to help you understand the root cause of your problem
Explain exactly how your treatment plan addresses your concerns
Review clear home-care instructions to support safe active living
Empower you to take a proactive approach to your recovery
Care Tailored to you
What to Expect
Your athletic therapist will take the time to understand your injury, how it’s affecting your life, and what you want to get back to. From there, you’ll build a treatment and rehabilitation plan together.
Book an appointment or contact us to learn more.
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Your first appointment begins with a detailed conversation about your injury, health history, daily activities, and recovery goals. Your Athletic Therapist will then perform a comprehensive assessment of your range of motion, strength, and functional movement to identify the affected structures and underlying factors contributing to the issue.
You'll leave with a better understanding of your injury and a clear treatment plan. Initial care may include hands-on manual therapy, joint mobilizations, soft tissue techniques, swelling management, or exercises to support your recovery.
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Follow-up appointments include ongoing clinical assessments to adapt and build upon your treatment plan. These sessions may include hands-on treatment, targeted mobility techniques, therapeutic exercise, strengthening, or taping.
FAQs
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Not at all. Athletic therapists work with athletes and non-athletes alike. If an injury or pain is making it harder to work, exercise, play a sport, or enjoy everyday life, athletic therapy may be able to help.
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Athletic therapists primarily treat injuries involving muscles, bones, joints, ligaments, and tendons. This can include sprains, strains, overuse injuries, joint pain, sports injuries, and other movement-related concerns.
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Treatment is completely customized to your unique injury and lifestyle goals. Athletic Therapy uses an active, movement-based approach to rehabilitation. Your therapist will combine hands on therapy and exercise therapy to help you move and perform better.
Athletic therapy aims to improve your body's overall movement systems, including your balance, strength and endurance. In addition to hands-on therapy and exercise, Athletic therapists can also use taping, bracing and education to help you return to your favourite activities with complete confidence.
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Both Registered Physiotherapists (PTs) and Certified Athletic Therapists (ATs) assess, treat, and rehabilitate muscle, bone, and joint injuries, including injuries involving supporting soft tissue structures. Both use hands-on manual therapy and targeted exercise prescription to help individuals of all ages and activity levels manage sudden or repetitive stress injuries, chronic pain, or congenital conditions (like arthritis).
The Main Differences
Certified Athletic Therapists (CAT-C)
Focused Scope: They focus 100% of their training on the musculoskeletal system (muscles, bones, joints, and connective tissues like tendons, ligaments, and cartilage).
Emergency Care: They are also certified first responders, adding acute on-site emergency care and physical trauma management to their clinical skillset. You frequently see them managing injuries right when they happen at sporting events or high-risk environments.
Registered Physiotherapists (PT)
Multi-System Scope: Their training extends beyond muscles and joints to include the cardiovascular system (heart health) and respiratory system (lung conditions).
Central Nervous System: While both professions treat peripheral nerve issues caused by tissue compression (such as sciatica or carpal tunnel), Physiotherapists are also trained to rehabilitate central nervous system injuries and conditions (such as stroke recovery, brain injuries, or spinal cord damage). Because of this systemic medical training, you also frequently find them in hospitals managing acute post-operative recovery.
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Yes. Athletic therapy can help with both recent and longstanding injuries. Your therapist can assess whether lingering pain, weakness, stiffness, or movement limitations may be contributing to ongoing symptoms or making it difficult to return to certain activities.
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No, do not wait. Seeing an Athletic Therapist within the first 48 hours helps speed up recovery, manage swelling, and prevent further damage.
However, seek immediate emergency medical care if you experience:
Severe, unbearable pain
Visible bone deformity or misaligned joints
Inability to bear weight on the limb
Numbness, tingling, or a cold, blue limb
If you are ever unsure, consult your doctor or primary care provider first.
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Athletic therapists can identify areas of weakness, mobility restrictions, and movement patterns that may affect how your body handles physical demands. They can then develop a plan to improve strength, mobility, and resilience.
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Coverage varies between extended health benefit plans. We recommend checking with your insurance provider to confirm whether athletic therapy is included in your plan and whether a referral is required.
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Yes, Athletic Therapy may be covered by ICBC depending on your claim and approved treatment. Contact us and our team can help you determine your coverage options.
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How to Book
Athletic Therapy is available virtually or in person at our James Bay, Victoria location.