Sports massage has been around for thousands of years starting in Greece and Rome. It started with Galen, a roman physician, prescribing gladiators massage before and after exercising which has been the earliest record of sports massage being used. In the 1900’s Australians started using sports massage during football games. In 1924 Dr. I.M. Sarkisov-Sirasini began teaching Russian Sports Massage at Central Institute of Physical Therapy in Moscow. And in 1980’s Sports massage was introduced in America by Jack Meagher who wrote his classic book; Sportsmassage: A Complete Program for Increasing Performance and Endurance in Fifteen Popular Sports. The American Massage Therapy Association created the National Sports Massage Team and offered massage at the Boston Marathon. …show more content…
Sports massage focuses on areas of an athlete’s body they are overused and stressed from repetitive movement. Sports massage can be used before or after a performance. Using sports massage before an event can help promote flexibility, reduce fatigue, improve endurance, and help prevent injuries. It has also been known to help prepare the mind for optimal performance. After an event, sports massage can help an athlete reduce recovery time. To become a Sports Massage Therapist, the first step is to become a professional massage therapist. This will include required courses such as anatomy and pathology. Having full knowledge of how the muscles and how the body moves is an important part of becoming a sports massage therapist. After you have become certified/licensed as a massage therapist, you will need continuing education to become a sports therapist. Examples of continuing education that will be beneficial to sports are; myofascial release, lymphatic drainage, stretching, triggerpoint, and clinical classes so you can get hands on