When I am asked what I do for a living, my response is typically, 'I'm a sports massage therapist.' The next question that I typically get is, 'What is sports massage and how is it different from regular massage?' Have you ever wondered or inquired about the difference? This brief blog post will help you understand!
The American Sports Massage Academy defines sports massage as: 'a field of massage relating to the prevention and treatment of injuries and disorders that are related to participation in sports and is performed by licensed massage therapists (LMTs).’
But aside from a fancy textbook definition, what does that mean and what EXACTLY is sports massage? The biggest difference is that sports massage is designed and performed to TREAT a client, it is performed with a specific OUTCOME and GOAL in mind. It is NOT performed just to 'relax' the mind and body. Sometimes, with certain types of sports massage (i.e. pre-event or inter-event), the last thing that a therapist or client wants is relaxation!
The second largest difference is TIMING. Many times, sports massage treatments are scheduled at SPECIFIC intervals or days, depending upon the clients' activities, athletic events, or training regimen.
Like sports medicine within medicine, sports massage is the specialty of massage therapy that focuses on treatment of issues related to movement of the human body. What this means is that you DO NOT have to consider yourself and athlete to benefit from sports massage therapy treatments, just like you don't have to be an athlete to be treated by sports medicine. An example would be if you are an office worker who is struggling with chronic back pain due to postural mis-alignment, sports massage could help!
If you ever wonder if sports massage therapy could help you or someone you know, please reach out and ask! We are here to help; serving our clients at Active Edge Clinics to the best of our ability with consistent, convenient, and high-quality care is our joy and mission!
Here to serve,
Amanda Lundstedt, on behalf of the entire team at Active Edge Clinics