Sports Massage Therapy: Treating and Preventing Sports Related Pain

If you are looking for a career in massage therapy, you should consider taking a continuing education unit (CEU) course. In fact, 94% of massage therapists have taken continuing education classes, making it all but necessary for an aspiring professional to do the same. Competition is tough in this field, especially for those looking to pursue a career as a sports massage therapist. Taking a sports massage CEU is the first step toward success.

What is sports massage therapy?

Athletes are always on the move. Whether they are runners, swimmers, bicyclists, hang gliders, or surfers, there is always the chance of muscular injury. With that in mind, this type of massage therapy needs to cater to the athlete’s high impact lifestyle.

It is your duty as a sports massage therapist to understand the various muscular injuries and risks so you can treat your patients to the best of your ability.

There are several types of sports massage, including pre-event, post-event, recovery, remedial, and more.

Learning goals of a sports massage CEU course

Continuing education for sports massage therapists aims to provide you with the tools you need to diagnose the affected area and apply your repertoire of massage knowledge to the pain your patient is coping with. The following are the learning goals of a sports massage CEU course.

• Learning how to educate the patient of what to expect from treatment: This is a great way to manage your clients’ expectations. If you can inform them — in language they understand — exactly what you are doing, why you’re doing it, and what they can expect to gain, everyone will be happy.
• Assess and palpate clients to get a full understanding of their conditions: This is not as simple as asking ‘what hurts?’ It is about understanding why it hurts and what you can actually do to help.
• Find at-risk sites on the body for preventative measures: You will learn to take a holistic approach to diagnosing both current problems and potential problems a patient may face based on their sport of choice and existing pain.

Believe it or not, sports massage therapy is not limited to athletes. As a sports massage therapist, you may cater your services to a wider range of clients, including those who have been injured doing any sort of physical labor. In fact, anyone who performs physical work as part of their occupation will benefit from the techniques learned in a sports massage CEU course, particularly workers who perform repetitive tasks that cause injury over time.

Taking a sports massage CEU course is critical for your success in the field, but aside from that, it is also beneficial to your patient in every way. You will be able to diagnose, treat, and prevent pain much more effectively after taking this course, ultimately helping clients recover faster, feel better, and return to their sport of choice in no time.