Sports physical therapy is a specialty within physical therapy (PT) that focuses on the treatment, rehabilitation and prevention of athletic injuries.1 In addition to helping athletes recover faster and improve their performance, a sports physical therapist also plays a critical role in preventing injuries, especially those that may otherwise end an athlete’s career.1
With athletes looking to boost their sports performance and healthcare professionals interested in monitoring wellness, sports physical therapists are increasingly relevant for helping athletes heal while supporting safe and healthy sports practices to prevent future injuries.2, 3 For those interested in assisting athletes, we’ve outlined how to become a sports physical therapist.
What is a Sports Physical Therapist?
A sports physical therapist is a healthcare practitioner who specializes in treating athletes who have suffered an injury while participating in a sport or other physical activity.1 Sports physical therapists help athletes through rehabilitation, which focuses on increasing mobility and strengthening injured body parts.4
As healthcare professionals who specialize in treating injuries from sports, physical therapists work in a variety of environments.1 For example, they may work at a college, assisting college athletes through their injuries, or they may work in a clinic where anyone injured through physical activity can come to them for help. A sports physical therapist may also work with professional sports teams, providing aid to professional athletes.
What Do Sports Physical Therapists Do?
A sports physical therapist cares for patients following a sports-related injury, typically with the ultimate goal of allowing them to return to their sport.1
A sports physical therapist starts by evaluating the severity of an athlete’s injury, including any limitations in range of motion, coordination and balance that result from the injury.4 Using this information, the PT devises a treatment plan that helps the athlete recover quickly and safely, and then implements their treatment plan by leading the patient through exercises that increase agility, strength and coordination.4 They may also use therapeutic treatments, such as massage or electrical stimulation, to further aid in treatment.
Beyond simply helping the athlete increase their range of motion, a sports physical therapist has the ultimate goal of returning the athlete to their same level of fitness as before the injury. By helping the athlete through the healing process, strengthening their muscles (according to their sport’s needs) and reducing pain, a sports physical therapist can help the athlete safely return to their sport.5 They may also devise training plans for athletes to implement while outside the clinic that can help them avoid reinjury.
In addition to sports physical therapists’ independent work, they may collaborate with athletic trainers, orthopedic doctors and others to personalize recovery to the athlete’s standard training plan and understand the scope of injury.4
Sports Physical Therapists in Action
Pursuing a career as a sports physical therapist allows you to help athletes reach their peak performance. Dr. Jamal Cort, who graduated as part of the inaugural Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) class at the USAHS campus in Miami, applies his physical therapy knowledge to the NBA as Head Athletic Trainer and Director of Rehabilitation for the Utah Jazz. He helps athletes heal and get back on the floor and focuses on preventative care through soft tissue manipulation and joint mobilization.
As a sports physical therapist for a professional team, Dr. Cort’s days are never the same. Depending on the day, he may review athlete history, support players during draft workouts, cover practice or post-practice, guide players through treatments or travel with the team. At the end of the day, he has the satisfaction of knowing that, through recovery and preventative care, he is helping the players stay in the game.
What is the Difference Between a Physical Therapist and a Sports Physical Therapist?
The key difference between a physical therapist and a sports physical therapist is in the training.1, 6
All sports physical therapists must complete physical therapy training and obtain a board-certified specialist certification.6
There are differences in what each type of PT treats. While regular and sports physical therapists help patients recover from physical injuries, sports PTs concentrate on athletic-related injuries, which may include empowering athletes to regain their ability to compete.1 As such, a sports physical therapist focuses on treatment options related to the patient’s athletic abilities.
How to Become a Sports Physical Therapist
For those interested in helping athletes return to the field following an injury, the steps below can help guide you through the sports physical therapy education requirements:6
1. Receive an Undergraduate Degree
The process of how to become a sports physical therapist begins with a bachelor’s degree. While you can get a degree in any field, the best undergraduate majors for physical therapy students include exercise science, health science, biology, kinesiology, psychology or athletic training. While working toward your undergraduate degree, keep in mind that you’ll need to pursue further education. Experience is a key component of acceptance into a higher education program. To boost your application, spend time gaining relevant sports PT experience, like interning at sports medicine facilities or volunteering in physical therapy centers.
2. Earn a Graduate Degree in Physical Therapy
To practice as a physical therapist, earn a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree, a program that typically takes two to three years. After earning your bachelor’s degree and completing any other prerequisites, such as observation hours, you can apply to a DPT program. As each program requires specific prerequisites, knowing your path early can help you complete these prerequisites.
3. Take the Physical Therapy Licensing Exam
After completing the DPT program, all states require licensing, which includes passing the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE). Any additional requirements will depend on the state in which you plan to practice.
4. Gain Sports Medicine Experience
Now that you’re licensed as a physical therapist, you can begin working toward a sports physical therapy certification. Start by earning at least 2,000 hours of direct patient care experience in your specialty area or complete an APTA-accredited post-professional clinical residency program within the specialty area.7
5. Receive Certification in Emergency Medical Care and CPR
Before taking the sports physical therapy certification exam, complete courses in Acute Management of Injury & Illness and CPR.7, 8
Learn about the additional specialty-specific American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) certification eligibility requirements.
6. Get a Sports Physical Therapy Certification
After acquiring the prerequisite training, experience and certifications, it’s time for the final step in how to become a sports physical therapist: taking the sports specialization exam that is offered by the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties (ABPTS).1
Skills for a Sports Physical Therapist
A sports physical therapist must possess specialized medical knowledge and interpersonal skills to work effectively with patients.6, 9
Some of the top skills needed by a sports physical therapist include:
- Empathy. As a patient-centered practice, sports physical therapists should practice empathy by exhibiting an understanding of the physical and mental load patients experience when in physical therapy.1, 6 This empathy can help a sports physical therapist notice when patients become frustrated and discouraged, and offer their patients encouragement.
- Anatomy and physiology training. A sports physical therapist must be well-versed in anatomy and physiology so that they can best understand what is impacted by the patient’s injury and which treatments will help return their strength and range of motion.9 Having this strong understanding can also help increase trust between PT and patient, especially since the physical therapist’s knowledge impacts the patient’s career.
- Critical thinking. Sports physical therapists must be able to evaluate their patient’s injuries to compile the best course of rehabilitation, which requires strong critical thinking skills.6
- Mentoring and coaching. Sports physical therapy is more than just physical recovery; it also requires athletes to mentally recover. A sports physical therapist can help athletes work through mental blocks and devise training plans that help them get in shape for the new season, keeping in mind any new limitations they may have.10
Salary in Sports Physical Therapy
The average salary of a sports physical therapist is $75,000.11 Various factors can influence salary, including experience, certifications, geographic location and employment setting. For instance, those who work for college athletes may have a different salary than those who work for a professional team.
Job Outlook for Sports Physical Therapists
The field of physical therapy is expected to grow, with employment within physical therapy expected to increase by 14%, which is much faster than the average compared to all occupations.12
While this growth estimation is for physical therapy overall, sports physical therapy can be expected to see this growth, especially as demand increases due to increasing sports participation in youth and professionals.13
Ultimately, while becoming a sports physical therapist requires significant education and certification, with proper qualifications and networking, you can experience the reward of helping athletes get back on the field.
Start Your Journey to Become a Sports Physical Therapist
Interested in learning how to become a sports physical therapist? Take the first step to a dynamic sports PT career by exploring graduate programs, shadowing PTs and setting clear goals. The sooner you start planning, the smoother the path to sports PT.
At USAHS, our DPT program equips you with the skills to excel as a physical therapist and get one step closer to helping athletes return to competing.
FAQs
How Long Does It Take to Become a Sports Physical Therapist?
You must complete undergraduate, graduate and sports therapy training to become a sports PT.
What Is the Best Undergraduate Major for Sports Physical Therapy?
The best undergraduate major for those looking to become a sports physical therapist is typically related to the field, such as biology, sports medicine or exercise science. It can be helpful to see what undergraduate prerequisites the DPT program requires and choose a major that includes the required coursework.
Is Becoming a Sports Physical Therapist Hard?
Becoming a sports physical therapist requires years of schooling, experience in sports therapy and the completion of certification exams. It can be a competitive and challenging field to enter, but it is also rewarding as you help athletes recover from injury.
Salary data may not reflect starting pay for recent graduates.
Sources
- “Become a Board-Certified Sports Specialist in Physical Therapy,” Apta.org, 2024. https://specialization.apta.org/become-a-specialist/sports
- Arvind, S., et al. “Advanced Sports Performance Analysis using Deep Learning for Posture and Movement Identification,” 2023 International Conference on Data Science and Network Security (ICDSNS), 2023: 1–6, https://doi.org/10.1109/icdsns58469.2023.10245544.
- De Fazio, R., Mastronardi, V. M., De Vittorio, M., & Visconti, P. “Wearable Sensors and Smart Devices to Monitor Rehabilitation Parameters and Sports Performance: An Overview,” Sensors, 2023: 23(4), 1856, https://doi.org/10.3390/s23041856
- “What Physical Therapists Do,” Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2025, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/physical-therapists.htm#tab-2.
- Short, S., Tuttle, M., & Youngman, D. “A Clinically-Reasoned Approach to Manual Therapy in Sports Physical Therapy,” International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy,” 2023: 18(1). https://doi.org/10.26603/001c.67936.
- How to Become a Physical Therapist,” Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2025, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/physical-therapists.htm#tab-4.
- “Minimum Requirements for All Specialties,” Apta.org, 2025, https://specialization.apta.org/become-a-specialist/minimum-requirements.
- “Training Services and Certification,” Redcross.org, 2025, https://www.redcross.org/about-us/our-work/training-education.html?srsltid=AfmBOoqibRnQM5Dwj0WBtz78GFftkslt_-q1Gll9P0tCnLdtDQ5LEiP4.
- Indeed Editorial Team, “How To Become a Sports Physical Therapist (Including Licensing and Certification),” Indeed, April 22, 2025,, https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/how-to-become-sports-physical-therapist.
- Robert Mangine, “The Changing World of Sports Physical Therapy,” International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy, March 1, 2024, 19(3):94379, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10909393/.
- “Average Sports Physical Therapist Salary,” Payscale, 2025, https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Sports_Physical_Therapist/Salary.
- “Physical Therapists,” Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2025, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/physical-therapists.htm.
- “Participation Trends,” Project Play, 2024, https://projectplay.org/state-of-play-2024-participation-trends.
