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Sports Massage

Athletes in team room receive messages before track eventWhile everyone can benefit from massage therapy, athletes actively demand this wellness practice. Athletes at all levels, as well as fitness enthusiasts of all types, benefit from regularly receiving massages that incorporate sports massage techniques.

HICI Go is an online center that hosts a diverse catalog of health and beauty courses online for people in Miami, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Orlando, or anywhere else in the U.S. Whether a weekend athlete who wants more information or a licensed practitioner who wants to learn new massage techniques, massage courses at HICI Go provide an excellent option.

What Is Sports Massage?

An advanced massage therapy, sports massage is a special type of massage therapy that aids recovery from athletic injuries, as well as helping to prevent them. The therapist attends to muscle strain, can help the client become more flexible, and encourages the body to relax.

Sports massage can encompass more than massage techniques alone. There may be stretching, exercises, and movement incorporated into the experience, depending on the individual receiving the massage. Hydrotherapy may also be used. Massage techniques used in sports massage include:

  • Compression: pressurized strokes
  • Percussive: light blows, sometimes with cupped hands
  • Friction: cross or circular strokes that separate muscle fibers and alleviate scar tissue
  • Vibration or Shaking: loosens the area
  • Direct pressure: strong, constant pressure
  • Effleurage: light strokes
  • Petrissage: kneading with two hands

Sports massage therapy is carefully timed around workouts, competitions, coaching, teaching, and other athletic responsibilities. For example, any massage can create tenderness in the body for a brief period. Therapists work closely with individual clients and teams to help assure optimum readiness for athletic exertion, without exacerbating existing injuries. They also plan massage treatments on a timetable that allows athletes to recover from competitive efforts.

In professional sports, athletes may receive different types of massage before and after sports events. Furthermore, sports massage therapists may work with medical professionals and others to help heal athletic injuries.

Benefits of Sports Massage

Sports massage can serve almost anyone active. Therapists may specialize in specific sports and develop skillsets especially attuned to gymnasts, football players, or rock climbers. More generally, they can help normally active people, for example, those who might walk, garden, work out at a local gym, and hike during the summer. By learning a variety of strokes and other techniques, sports massage therapists can help athletes:

  • Improve breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure post-workout
  • Reduce muscle tension and swelling
  • Increase range of motion with better flexibility
  • Compete with less pain and internal scar tissue
  • Encourage better circulation
  • Drain affected tissue to remove metabolic waste

The benefits of sports massage are that athletes can prepare their bodies and minds for competitions. In other words, it can be a tool that increases and improves athletic performance. Just as importantly, sports massage is a maintenance bodywork, one that helps clients stay in shape and capable of performing their best. Finally, the beneficial effect of massage for healing injuries and strains is well known. Sports massage can be targeted to increase circulation and relax areas of the body that have experienced damage.

Depending on the qualifications of the massage therapist, they may also advise athletes on how to utilize their body more effectively for the benefit of their athletic performance, without increasing the risk of injury. With effective massage therapy, athletic clients can get better sleep, which also helps recovery and healing processes. Reducing pain allows athletes to get a healthy night’s sleep, as well. By helping athletes and others recover from sports injuries, sports massage therapists enable them to pursue their passions and daily activities with greater freedom.

Sports Massage and Other Massage Courses at HICI Go

Learn massage techniques with HICI Go to expand an existing massage practice or develop a new one. Athletes and others interested in sports and wellness can also benefit from learning more about this advanced massage practice. Take advantage of continuing education certification courses when renewing massage licenses or meeting membership requirements for professional organizations.

Sports massage is one of many courses offered through HICI Go. Students taking in-person courses at our partner institutions receive an account login that allows access to all our courses in massage, skin care, hair, barbering, nails, and makeup.

Learn About Sports Massage Today

HICI Go offers online massage therapy education in Miami, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Orlando, and anywhere else in the U.S. Participants can also choose between live in-person courses and live webinars. We also partner with several institutions throughout Florida, Connecticut, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Texas. Additionally, massage therapists and those interested in the field across the United States can access courses online, anytime. See how sports massage can impact your life and massage practice. For more information, contact us today.