Sports physical therapist vs physical therapist

The differences between sports physical therapists and physical therapists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a physical therapist has an average salary of $73,070, which is higher than the $67,105 average annual salary of a sports physical therapist.

The top three skills for a sports physical therapist include physical therapy, patient care and rehabilitation. The most important skills for a physical therapist are patients, rehabilitation, and home health.

Sports physical therapist vs physical therapist overview

	Sports Physical Therapist	Physical Therapist
Yearly salary	$67,105	$73,070
Hourly rate	$32.26	$35.13
Growth rate	17%	17%
Number of jobs	70,367	86,697
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Average age	41	41
Years of experience	-	-

Sports physical therapist vs physical therapist salary

Sports physical therapists and physical therapists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Sports Physical Therapist	Physical Therapist
Average salary	$67,105	$73,070
Salary range	Between $41,000 And $107,000	Between $56,000 And $94,000
Highest paying City	-	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	Parkway
Best paying industry	-	Professional

Differences between sports physical therapist and physical therapist education

There are a few differences between a sports physical therapist and a physical therapist in terms of educational background:

	Sports Physical Therapist	Physical Therapist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Most common major	Physical Therapy	Physical Therapy
Most common college	Northwestern University	Duke University

Sports physical therapist vs physical therapist demographics

Here are the differences between sports physical therapists' and physical therapists' demographics:

	Sports Physical Therapist	Physical Therapist
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 42.5% Female, 57.5%	Male, 36.3% Female, 63.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.7% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 7.4% Asian, 12.4% White, 72.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 3.7% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 7.5% Asian, 14.3% White, 70.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	12%	12%

Differences between sports physical therapist and physical therapist duties and responsibilities

Sports physical therapist example responsibilities.

Demonstrate working knowledge of community mental health services identify in the Medicaid guidelines and attain contractual outcomes within designate time frames.
Administer therapeutic hot packs, cold packs and personally handle various electrical stimulation treatments; ultrasound, electrical stimulation.
Employ at an out-patient orthopedic clinic with primary goal for patient return to work, ADL, or sports/recreation activities.

Physical therapist example responsibilities.

Conduct in-services and train colleagues in effective techniques for safely managing the CVA patient.
Achieve high level of patients satisfaction due to sound clinical management, quality of care and compassion.
Perform physical therapy evaluation and treatment of orthopedic patients and supervise PTAs.
Progress patients' functional mobility during treatment sessions by modifying task, intensity, and adaptive equipment utilize.
Motivate patients to participate in treatment sessions by educating them on the benefits of early mobility following cardiac and thoracic surgery.
Experience include IFSP and IEP writing and implementation

Sports physical therapist vs physical therapist skills

Common sports physical therapist skills

Physical Therapy, 43%
Patient Care, 27%
Rehabilitation, 26%
Injury Prevention, 1%
PTA, 1%
Primary Care, 1%

Common physical therapist skills

Patients, 30%
Rehabilitation, 15%
Home Health, 13%
Quality Care, 5%
Physical Therapy, 3%
Treatment Programs, 3%

Sports Physical Therapist vs. similar jobs

Sports Physical Therapist related careers

Sports Physical Therapist related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Sports Physical Therapist
Sports Physical Therapist vs Physical Therapist

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse healthcare practitioner and technical jobs