Physio Vs S&C Vs PT

Who you should see and why

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There are numerous people who can help on your sports performance or health and fitness journey, each one with a specialist skill set. Seeing the right person to help fix the problems you're experienceing is paramount for long term success. The initial table below outlines the keys differences in the skill sets of a Physiotherapist, Personal Trainer and a Strength and Conditioning Coach:

Before you read on, there is a caveat to the above information found further down this page. The paragraphs below describe what services those practitioners with the base requirements can offer but does not necessarily mean they aren't trained to do other things as well. There are fantastic practitioners in each of these disciplines that are well versed in a lot of different areas. Remember to double check the qualifications of a person offering you a service and make sure they are the right person for the job.

Physiotherapists

Physios are experts in human anatomy, injuries and their symptoms- they are the only people (besides a doctor) who are allowed to a) diagnose your injury and b) treat your injury. S&C's and PT's should refer out to physios for anything along the above lines, although they are allowed to speculate as to what the problem might be. With that in mind physios have extensive knowledge of all types of injuries that affect all types of people, so be mindful when choosing a physio that they have experience with athletes and sports performers, not just Doris with bunions.

Physios excel at getting you back to a suitable level of function. But what happens after you reach that point? In everyday life you are more than likely discharged and given an exercise routine to be performed in order to prevent your problem re-ocurring. But there is a massive difference between functioning well and being ready to return to competitive sport. Typically within professional sport, the person is moved on to the Strength and Conditioning coach for a return to sport program. Physios themselves are not usually great at programming for performance and changes in body composition, but could more than likely put a passible program in place for you.

Strength and Conditioning Coaches

The S&C coach's area of expertise is typically all things performance training related. This encompasses speed, agility, strength, endurance, hypertrophy, aerobic fitness and injury risk mitigation, but also includes developing youth and adolescent athletes, conducting performance testing and managing athlete workloads. They represent the middle ground in terms of the length of time having to study when comparing the types of practitioners mentioned so far. Whilst a degree isn't required to be a certified strength and conditioning coach, those working in professional sports are typically educated to a minimum BSc level and often MSc/Phd levels and have to pass more specific qualifications, which have a much higher fail rate (83%). The term "Strength and Conditioning Coach" isn't protected like doctors or physios, so anybody could call themselves one (Mainly Sport Science Graduates and PT's), so make a point of asking what qualifications they have for the services you require. You should be looking for an Accredited Strength and Conditioning Coach (ASCC) or Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS).

Whilst S&C coaches aren't allowed to diagnose injuries, they work in tandem with physios to allow the athletes to return to sport. They are also the most likely of the two to put an exercise strategy in place to reduce injuries in the first place. The average clients for a S&C coach are sports team or individual athletes. S&C coaches use their understanding of exercise to drive sport performance, but are also more than capable of delivering changes in body composition for fitness enthusiasts.

Personal Trainers

PT's are skilled in driving body composition changes, general fitness qualities and helping aesthetic athletes like bodybuilders. Due to their relatively lower standard of entry to the industry, PT's should work within the strict boundaries for which they are trained. However, there are extended qualifications that allow PT's to work within a GP referral system and special populations (pregnant women, elderly etc). Often PT's are looked down upon by the other professionals, particularly when they operate outside of their scope of practice. Just because they are a personal trainer doesn't mean they can't help you achieve your goals when it comes to performance, fitness and health. There is definitely a place for PT's, which is mainly inside the fitness enthusiasts realm.

In summary, each professional has an area of expertise- see a physio for injuries, or an S&C coach for performance and a PT for health and fitness . As a consumer of their services, you should be savvy with who you trust your health to, as it is not uncommon for people to operate/stray outside of their lane. Hopefully, this post has cleared up the major differences between the scope of practice of these professionals and help you make a better, more informed decision. as to who to approach.

If you still have questions or aren't sure what the right fit for you is, don't hesitate to get in touch!