Sports Massage for Athletes of All Kinds

Sports Massage for Athletes of All Kinds

Most professional athletic teams keep massage therapists on payroll as staff members to regularly treat their star athletes. Coaches and experts recognize the conclusive evidence that massage therapy has a variety of positive effects on the human body. According to the American Massage Therapy Association, massage therapy can improve athletic performance, prevent injury, reduce pain, and often shorten recovery time after an injury. Massage therapy encourages blood vessels to dilate, helping to promote circulation. This fresh oxygen is delivered throughout the body and promotes the removal of toxins.

These benefits are not just for the professionals—they’re beneficial for anyone who participates in exercise at any level. As such, sports massage therapy is growing more than ever as a career among massage therapists. Depending on the specific sport or exercise, sports massage therapy can involve fast-paced massage and stretching; deep tissue massage for applying heavier pressure on muscles and tissues; or other specifically tailored massage therapy techniques.

The AMTA further concludes that massage therapy used in conjunction with athletic participation can increase range of motion, reduce muscle tension, help athletes monitor muscle tone, decrease muscle stiffness and soreness after exercise, and more.

At the Soma Institute, students of the Clinical Massage Therapy program have the option of gaining experience in Soma’s on-campus teaching clinic. Working directly with the public under the guidance of Soma’s faculty, these students perform sports massage with NCAA Division I athletes at Loyola University. This is invaluable field experience for any student studying massage therapy.

If you’ve ever thought about a career in massage therapy—specifically working with professional athletes, begin your journey today by visiting the Soma Institute’s website to learn more! https://soma.edu/.