Exercise and sports therapy
It is widely known that sport and exercise protect against lifestyle diseases and other ailments. But how exactly does it work? How can exercise accompany us in our everyday lives, which ailments can it alleviate when used in a targeted manner and which can it prevent? Sports therapists deal with this issue on a daily basis. Using sport as an exercise therapy measure, they try to either prevent or compensate for physical, psychological and social disorders and, in the best case, to regenerate.
How exactly this is implemented depends on the respective specialization within sports therapy (e.g. dance therapy, rehabilitation or fitness sports). Sports therapists work, for example, in health clinics, hospitals, rehabilitation facilities, health associations, health insurance companies or set up their own practice. Typical activities include the anamnesis of patients, the creation and implementation of exercise and treatment programs, the documentation of therapy progress and the performance of sports medicine tests. As a sub-area of exercise therapy, sports therapy overlaps with physiotherapy. In practice, sports therapy is also combined with other forms of physical therapy, such as physiotherapy or occupational therapy. Nevertheless, the work of sports therapists must be distinguished from that of physiotherapists in terms of content, as the focus here is clearly on the use of exercise therapy paired with additional expert knowledge in nutrition and health issues, curative and rehabilitation education, sports training and psychology. Sports therapists are also able to provide expert opinions and take on other expert activities.
Thematic focus and specialized licenses make it easier to enter the profession
Access to the field of sports therapy is not regulated. As a rule, a relevant course of study is required that addresses the topics of exercise, health and prevention, such as the Sports Therapy and Prevention program. However, sports therapy is also offered as an additional qualification during or after a related academic or non-academic course of study. As the professional title “sports therapy” is not protected, it is worth researching the quality of the additional qualification offered well in advance. Additional further training or licenses, e.g. group leader licenses, cardiac exercise, dealing with mentally ill patients, are another big plus for starting a career. These can be completed at various training institutes, academies or health insurance companies. In addition to employment, sport therapists also have the option of becoming self-employed, e.g. with their own practice or as a personal trainer. Before taking the step into self-employment, it is advisable to deal with business management and legal issues in detail. The University of Potsdam's start-up service Gründerservice „Potsdam Transfer“ and the website existenzgruender.de of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, for example, offer relevant advice.
