Physical therapists: All hands on deck

The life of a student-athlete is not easy, especially during the grueling UAAP season. During that time, an athlete’s routine consists of having to train for long hours, going to school, doing homework, and playing in games. The cycle goes on and on, ultimately taking its toll on their bodies. Survival during the UAAP season is greatly dependent on a student-athlete’s health, and part of this is credited to the efforts of DLSU’s Physical Therapists (PT).

PTs are tasked to provide assistance to an athlete in preserving their body before, during, and after the season. As Head PT Teddy Fabian explains, “Our primary job here is to prevent injuries and prescribe exercises for them to get healed from injuries.”

If athletes were to get injured, PTs would do their best to get them back into the court or on the pitch. Fabian also mentioned that they consult the head coaches and the strength and conditioning coaches with regard to what each athlete needs to improve on physically.

Mid-game injury protocols

Athletes always run the risk of getting injured every time they play. They are lucky if they get away with only minor injuries that would require taping and cooling sprays. But sometimes, they suffer severe injuries that would take them out of the game or even for the rest of the season.

“In cases like that (serious injuries), automatic ‘yun kailangan naming sila dalhin sa doctor,” Fabian says.

The Office of Sports Development (OSD) has affiliated doctors that they contact when the need arises. Although they are no longer handling the athlete directly at that point, the PTs and the OSD are still informed of the athlete’s situation.

Facing the challenges

One of the most challenging parts of being a PT is to think of how to help athletes recover from injuries, especially if it’s the first time an athlete gets injured. Moreover, they have to get the athletes back in the court on schedule.

“Kunwari, na-ankle sprain ka, alam namin kung kailan ka pwedeng bumalik based dun sa assessment na gagawin namin so kunwari sinabi ko sa coach [makakabalik ka in] two weeks, panindigan mo yun,” Fabian explains.

Of course, the ideal goal is to prevent the injuries from happening. According to Fabian, it’s always a challenge to come up with a better program that would help the athletes play in their sport to the fullest without the fear of getting injured.

Another challenge they face is when they have to make the decision on the spot with regard to whether the player can still play or not, a decision that may greatly affect the outcome of the game or the season itself, especially if the athlete plays a major role in the team.

“Basically, yun lang naman, mostly yung pressure sa coach. Tapos kunwari may na-injure during the game, eh kailangan siya sa game… Ano gagawin ko?” Fabian concludes.

Fruits of their labor

With all the hardships they face, it’s always good to look at the positive side of things. Although they are working non-stop during the season, PTs get to enjoy their work through the little things that come with the job. They get to see the games courtside for free and they get acquainted with the players whilst working with them. Compared to the hospital scene, their patients heal relatively faster.

“Dito pag ang player na-injure sa shoulder, di niya mataas ang kamay niya, bukas kaya na niya yan,” Fabian says. “Mabilis yung progress. Siguro ayun yun, na-appreciate ko ang work ko kasi mabilis ang progress.”

Sports wouldn’t be as competitive or as exciting if players were always fatigued and suffered nagging injuries, so the presence of the PTs in a student-athlete’s life is crucial if he or she wants to take his or her game to the next level. Being a PT is not an easy job, and at the end of the day, they become as tired as the athletes are. However, just like in any laborious task, there are fruits that make one appreciate the job.