ArticleBMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation2021
A framework exploring the therapeutic alliance between elite athletes and physiotherapists: a qualitative study.
Article in BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 12 citations in OpenAlex.
- Factors That Foster Therapeutic Alliance in Pediatric Sports and Orthopedics: A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Pooled it
- Together, alongside or against each other? A qualitative content analysis on the intersystem sensitivity of coaches and physiotherapists in German elite sport support teams.Frontiers in sociology · 2026Article
- Patients' Mental Barriers in Rehabilitation after ACL Reconstruction: A Qualitative Interview Study.International journal of sports physical therapy · 2026Article
- From 'My world fell apart' to 'The best thing that happened in my life': elite athletes' longitudinal journeys after an injury.BMJ open sport & exercise medicine · 2026Article
- 'Good communication and good team building, it's half of the work in managing a player': how team doctors perceive communication in the European professional men's football context.BMJ open sport & exercise medicine · 2025Article
- Article
- Patient empowerment: a critical evaluation and prescription for a foundational definition.Frontiers in psychology · 2024Article
- Athletes' access to, attitudes towards and experiences of help-seeking for mental health: a scoping review protocol.BMJ open · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe therapeutic alliance (TA) is the bond between a patient and a physiotherapist during collaboration on recovery or training. Previous studies focused on the TA between physiotherapists and patients of the general population. Little information exists on whether this is similar in the demanding environment of elite athletes. The aim of this study was to investigate the components of TA between elite athletes and physiotherapists.
methodsTen elite athletes and ten physiotherapists were interviewed using one-on-one semi-structured interviews between June 2020 and October 2020. Athletes were included if they competed at national or international championships. Physiotherapists had to treat elite athletes on a regular basis. Interview questions were based on TA components of the general physiotherapy population. The interviews were transcribed and coded using inductive thematic analysis.
resultsThe analysis resulted in an elite athlete TA framework which consists of nine themes and ten subthemes that could influence the TA. The nine themes are trust, communication, professional bond, social bond, elite athlete, physiotherapist, time, pressure and adversity, and external factors. This showed that the TA consists of bonds on different social levels, depends on the traits of both elite athletes and physiotherapists, and can be positively and negatively influenced by the external environment. The influences from the external environment seem to be more present in the elite athlete TA compared to the TA in the general physiotherapy setting. Multiple relations between themes were discovered. Trust is regarded as the main connecting theme.
conclusionThis study provides a framework to better understand the complex reality of the TA between elite athletes and physiotherapists. Compared to the general physiotherapy setting, new themes emerged. The created framework can help elite athletes and physiotherapists to reflect and improve their TA and subsequently improve treatment outcomes.
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