This article originally appeared on the American Physical Therapy Association of Michigan’s blog, Lines, on 5/6/2025.
I inhaled as I stepped up to the podium.
Inspired by the strength and creativity of Taylor Swift, I stood with four other sports physical therapists as we presented, “The Tortured Physical Therapists Department: Ushering in a New Era for Women in Sports Physical Therapy” at the American Physical Therapy Association of Michigan’s (APTA-MI) Fall Conference.
Drs. Hannah DePaul, Nancy Boyd, Hannah Cook, Julie Wiebe and I had the opportunity to tell about our journeys as female sports physical therapists.
Our mission was to highlight paths to sports specialization in physical therapy, empower women to feel confident in their ability to work in a sports setting, and be better prepared to identify and navigate the barriers that exist for women in sports physical therapy.
The new era, as we see it, is giving womens’ contributions in sports physical therapy visibility as well as creating more of them.
Our stories as women in sports physical therapy are both singular and shared. We presented our unique journeys, with successes along the way. We also shared the invisible strings tied to women operating in a male-dominated space, like the sports world.
Being a woman in sports physical therapy can sometimes mean being in spaces where you’re the lone female representative. It can mean learning different styles of communication in order to connect. It can mean maintaining a delicate balance of being who you are while operating in a masculine culture and still letting your strengths and truest self shine through.
It’s performing a sideline evaluation on an anxious male athlete, itching to get back in the game, who physically towers over you. It’s explaining to a male coach that his star player is not returning to the game; a little breathhold while doing your job, wondering if you’ll be taken seriously.
It’s working extra hard to leave no room for questioning, from yourself and others. It’s feeling tenacious, ambitious and assertive while knowing amenability must also be present.
Sometimes it feels like running as fast as you can, wondering if you’d get there quicker if you were a man (thank you, Taylor).
Also like Taylor, we brought our personal experience to the presentation.
Dr. Nancy Boyd shared her experience of suffering serious health consequences in the name of collegiate running, then starting her own physical therapy clinic to help individuals stay anchored to their passions of health and well-being.
Dr. Hannah DePaul shared her journey from athlete to new clinician to clinical instructor to mom, with many of these roles intertwining with each other, creating a balancing act. DePaul is the program director for a highly sought-after sports residency, which she created.
Dr. Hannah Cook shared her story of going through sports residency – the program created by DePaul – and working in the hypermasculine space of USA hockey. While Dr. Cook was the youngest presenter on the panel, the increased time in a sports population that residency offered demanded she confront sexism at an early point in her career.
Dr. Julie Wiebe has been fighting for all of us – patients and PTs – for decades, before pelvic health or pelvic floor were common terms in our profession. Her passion is to return active patients to fitness after injury and pregnancy and equip professionals to do that same. As a highly visible clinician and educator in the sports physical therapy field, Wiebe has been a leader of change, without waiting for anyone to give her permission to create something new.
Then there’s me, a female PT business owner, diligently working to bring a specialized sports medicine presence to the rural community for which I care so deeply. I’m focused on being the person I needed as a young athlete by educating and treating young athletes, coaching, and hosting camps for girls.
The women on this panel have navigated some of the hurdles of being a woman in sports PT and have felt empowered to persist, doing things in her own way; creating an example to pass on to others.
When forming our presentation, we used the term “accelerators” for the clinicians who came before us; those who forged something new and made the path a little easier when it was our turn to travel it. As clinicians, leaning into the wisdom of our accelerators has given us examples to follow, advice to heed and encouragement to forge ahead.
We also found that we’ve served as accelerators for each other. Boyd credits Wiebe for the beginnings of her pelvic floor PT education while Cook and I credit DePaul for helping form our sports medicine foundations by offering a deep well of knowledge applied practically during clinicals (me) and residency (Cook). While accelerators are often thought of ancestors from the past, most of our accelerators were present tense; other clinicians who inspire and guide us now.
As I spoke, I looked at the faces of the other female physical therapists in the room. In each face, I could see a story to be told; I could see the wisdom and experience each woman could contribute if she were on the panel, too. Accelerators are everywhere, with the possibility of inspiration, guidance and growth in each of our stories. We all have so much we can learn from each other.
After our presentation, we got feedback from, unsurprisingly, women. I recognized the relief on womens’ faces as they spoke with us afterward. Feeling seen provides a moment of lift.
The hurdles can be high for women in sports PT, but in the moment, we could all exhale.
Katie Noble PT, DPT, SCS, is the owner of Noble Physical Therapy & Wellness. She enjoys empowering and supporting athletes with evidenced-based education. Find more blog posts and download resources for female athletes at drkatienobe.com.
Dr. Katie Noble, PT, DPT, SCS 