What is Sports Massage Therapy?

Sports massage is manual manipulation of the muscles geared specifically toward helping people who have physically demanding lifestyles and/or hobbies. This kind of therapeutic massage considers the impact of certain activities on specific joints, muscle groups, tendons, ligaments, and soft tissue groups. The conscious focus of sports massage therapy maximizes the benefit of certain massage techniques and supports further physical exertion and activity.

Who Could Benefit from a Sports Massage?

Athletic massages are obviously a benefit to people who play professional sports, but these athletes are not the only people who can benefit from sports massage therapy. The emphasis on athletics comes from the high rate of physical strain and damage caused by long term participation in sport activities, as well as the training that often goes with them. However, there are plenty of activities that can have an equal or greater toll on the body’s physical well-being. Let’s take a look at some of the many groups of people who could benefit from a sports massage.

Fitness Newcomers

Someone does not have to be an “athlete” in order to benefit from a sports massage. Anytime the body is pushed physically it is important to properly manage the impact activity is having on the body. Massage can easily be part of both the assessment and the care plan. It is particularly important to pay close attention to the body when beginning or newly intensifying activity.

Amateur Athletes

The average person doesn’t need to be a widely recognized or a well-paid athlete to sustain the same injuries that professionals do. In fact, because amateurs lack the time and resources to practice and train the way that most professionals do, they are arguably at greater risk of accidental injury. Perhaps someone has joined a community sports league. Someone could have the goal of running a marathon, half marathon, or 5k run in the near future. They may prefer to participate in more isolated, solitary physical activities such as acro-yoga or balance training. These are all activities that require an elevated level of physical skill and dedication beyond the novice level, even if those skills are comfortably still amateur. All activities have an impact on the body. Sports massage therapy can help the body make sure that the impact is strictly positive.

Dedicated Athletes

There are those rare, talented, driven people with goals of turning their sport into a profession. They are prime candidates for regularly scheduled sports massage. Getting to the career level in a sport or athletic activity is a serious goal that will need serious planning, real dedication, and professional support. Sport-specific massage can help dedicated athletes avoid injuries and damage that might deter them from their goals or set back their career aspirations. Sports massage therapy will help to ensure that their rise to the top doesn’t ruin their ability to have a long and healthy career once they get there.

We are located at Bethany, Portland