Professional sports stars, amateur athletes and even those of us aspiring to live more active lifestyles can all benefit from sports massage therapy.
From flexibility to rehabilitation, sports massage training teaches students how to treat a wide range of muscle and performance issues and emphasizes injury prevention as the key to boosting the life of a person’s sporting career.
A sports massage therapist must possess specific skills and meet certain requirements to practice like completing a professional massage therapy program and getting a license in massage therapy. We’ll cover these requirements in greater detail, as well as the salary, job outlook, and duties of a massage therapist for athletes.
What is sports massage therapy?
Sports massage therapy is a manual manipulation (through touch) of the muscles to help athletes deal with or handle the impact of their activities on specific joints, soft tissue groups, skin, tendons, ligaments, fascia, and muscles.
Sometimes referred to as athletic massage therapy, it’s a form of physical therapy that involves manipulating the body’s soft tissue to:
Similar to the role of an expertly personal trainer, a good sports massage therapist also strives toward preemptive care and helps prevent many of the above symptoms from occurring in the first place.
Benefits of a sports massage
Who is sports massage for and how does it help? Professional sports stars, amateur athletes, and even those of us aspiring to live more active lifestyles can all benefit from sports massage.
These massages are most effective before and after an event or for continuous maintenance to enhance recovery, reduce inflammation and reduce the risk of future injury. It can also help restore normal tissue function and form when an athlete is recovering from an injury.
Although sports massage therapy is often associated with rehabilitation, it also involves prehabilitation—maintaining optimum tissue quality to prevent injury and improve performance. Each professional or amateur athlete has a specially designed massage therapy plan to meet their specific needs.
How to become a sports massage therapist in 4 steps
Understand your state’s requirements.
Requirements to practice as a sports massage therapist vary from state to state. For example, most states require that massage therapists graduate from an accredited massage therapy program, and most accredited programs require a high school diploma or GED to enroll.
Earn your certificate or diploma in massage therapy.
Once you’ve identified your state’s requirements, you should research the most cost-effective accredited programs in your area. The Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation (COMTA) is responsible for program analysis and accreditation, so look for their stamp of approval when deciding whether to enroll in a particular program.
Some programs offer specialization in certain areas of study within sports massage therapy. For example, certain programs will offer the ability to focus mainly on sports rehabilitation massage versus something like generalized deep tissue massage. It is important to research and identify which specialty you want to pursue. Then you can choose a sports massage programs that offer classes in the specialization you are most interested in practicing.
It could also benefit candidates to earn an associate’s or bachelor’s degree in a related field. Human sciences, anatomy, and health classes, in particular, could benefit a career in sports massage. These degrees may also require various other specialized courses focusing on athletic training, sports, and rehabilitative therapy. Candidates with a more extensive education could be favored by potential employers.
Earn your license.
Upon completing your state’s mandated hours of training and education, candidates in most states will need to pass an exam such as the Massage and Bodywork Licensing Exam (MBLE). However, certain states do not require an additional exam, so some candidates can apply for a state license immediately upon graduating from their licensing program.
Network and build your business or find a job.
Do you wish to open your own practice or apply to a larger clinic? Those who want to create an independent network of clientele often use grassroots strategies. Social media promotion and other forms of self-promotion are some of the best routes to showcase your new sports massage credentials to potential clients.
On the other hand, many therapists prefer to work with existing massage therapy clinics in their area. You should look to find a clinic that best suits your interests in needs. You can make use…
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