Sports therapy is a treatment modality, which uses sports as therapy. The therapy is based on principles and concepts of both fields of sports and medicine.
The concept of using games & sports as therapeutic modality has been conceived only in the recent past. From the point of view of efficacy and economy, the treatment procedure is viable and has extensive usage. The methodology is applied to medical conditions with modification and processing.
The groups that may come under this treatment procedure are:
(a) Abled persons lacking functional fitness components.
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(b) Disabled of all categories – Physically handicapped, mentally retarded and perceptually defectives (visual, auditory, speech).
(c) Medical patients – Post-operative surgical cases, with metabolic maladies such as diabetes and obesity; cardiac dysfunction of different categories, hypokinetic disorders of the musculo-skeletal system.
(d) Special group – Geriatric population, and postmenopausal women.
(e) Employed persons of different categories.
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(f) Youth dropouts from the educational stream.
(g) Delinquent and drug addict adolescents and youths.
As regards modalities, adapted forms of games and sports are employed i.e. through modified approach towards activities.
Most importantly, individual needs and limitations are looked into under medical advice regarding duration, frequency and repetitions of movement on the basis of functional fitness status.
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It is to be remembered that sports therapy is an adjunct to the medical care system, organized and supervised by specifically trained physical education personnel.