So, from reading my About Me and Getting Started pages, it probably sounded like I was never going to be able to treat athletes in the settings I chose to work in. Thankfully, that is not the case, and to this day I continue to work with athletes of all ages, including teams at the highest division of collegiate athletics. Whether you work primarily with athletes in a sports-ortho setting already, or are trying to figure out how to get started, if you love working with athletes, here are some tips:
Broaden your definition of “athletes.” Most therapists think of “athletes” as young, or young adult, patients in their prime, at the top of their game. The thing is, those kids are either in school all day each week, or away at college for a large chunks of the year. This can leave giant gaps in your schedule open in the middle of each day, which you can still fill with athletes…of a different age bracket! Remember to include an often-overlooked group in your marketing: older adult athletes. The standards for aging are raised every year, which means primary care doctors, geriatric specialists, gyms in the middle of the day, and morning group exercise classes can be very worthwhile targets for marketing efforts to the active older adult population. They have concrete goals, they’re reliable patients, are highly motivated, and typically highly available to come in in the middle of a weekday. A win-win-win-win.
Treat the parents - Via parents I have treated, I have gotten to work with some of the highest level youth tennis players in our country. Conversely, I have treated youth athletes who, as it turns out, have doctor and surgeon parents, who were not sure how best to treat their children's orthopedic pains effectively. The connections made by treating adults with seemingly no obvious “in” or connection to sports can be some of your longest lasting if they turn out to be parents with growing, active kids. And treating some pediatric patients could allow you to shake hands with a thankful doctor or surgeon parent who now knows your name and the quality of your work, leading to more personal referrals from them or a big “in” if they work within a larger healthcare network.
Shake hands with local sports clubs - Even if a club is not at the highest level of competition or sport that you want, volunteering goes a very long way. Many youth clubs do not have the means to support a part-time PT, but introducing yourself, donating your time to supervise or lead team workouts, recovery sessions, teach proper warm up and cool downs, or even offer individual PT sessions is invaluable to those clubs and those players! It makes the club and coaches look good, and you get to meet several prospective patients and their families. Be sure that your malpractice insurance will cover you offsite, and have any participants/guardians sign waivers as appropriate. Your potential patient population increases tenfold when you get out there on a community sports, grassroots level.
Have any questions about generating a caseload of Athletes? Have any other tips to recommend? Leave a comment or send me an email!