With the opening of Scottish Rite for Children Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Center in Frisco, we are especially excited about our sports therapy gym that was designed to focus on the young and growing athlete. The area is filled with equipment and people that are promoting full recovery and getting athletes ready to safely get back in the game. “The sports physical therapy team is focused on evaluating and improving how an athlete moves, not just whether or not they are able to perform specific tasks,” Laura Saleem, Therapy Services manager for Scottish Rite for Children believes. “Our skilled sports physical therapists perform evaluations and assess functional movements like squatting, jumping and running in order to create a roadmap for the athlete’s body as well as a precise rehabilitation plan. The therapist also helps guide the athlete through the individualized program, as no two athletes are alike.” In all evaluations of movement for recovery, a therapist is also considering the risk of future injury. During an evaluation and treatment of an existing injury, the sports physical therapist is also working toward improvements that prepare the body for the future demands of sports. In the early phases of an injury, treatment is focused on pain control, reducing swelling and regaining normal motion and strength. Sports physical therapy goes well beyond symptom management and post-operative care. As the athlete progresses, treatment becomes focused on performing functional activities and movements that are typical for a child or adolescent in a free play environment or in organized sports. “Our entire team is passionate about functional retraining as a means to avoid a second injury,” Philip L. Wilson, M.D., Director of the Center for Excellence in Sports Medicine for Scottish Rite for Children believes. “Mounting research has shown that athletes in our pediatric and adolescent age groups are at an extremely high risk for injury to the surgical or opposite leg.” Therefore, injury prevention is a component of every phase of our rehabilitation. For information about injury prevention and pediatric sports medicine, please visit our website at Scottish Rite.