“According to the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA), during the past decade there is a substantial increase in athletes integrating massage therapy into their training programs” said Harmony Cutiss, Director for Healing Hands School of Holistic Health– Laguna Hills. “As a result, our Career Placement Department is seeing an increase in job opportunities for qualified Sports Massage Therapists (SMTs). Student’s entering this field are required to complete an Accredited, postsecondary Massage Therapy Program and become licensed by the California Massage Therapy Council (CAMTC). Ideally candidates would be in good health, physically fit, and possess strength, stamina, and strong interpersonal skills”, she added.
A sports massage therapist specializes in massage and bodywork treatments for athletes. Depending on the needs of their clients, they utilize techniques that can loosen and stretch muscles, improve blood flow, reduce unnecessary stress and improve performance. For injured athletes, Sports Therapists provide massages that reduces pain and speeds recovery. Some sports massage therapists also specialize in advanced modalities, like Trigger Point Therapy, Structural Integration and Deep Tissue Manipulations. These modalities and techniques broaden the services Sports Therapists provide.
A survey of Healing Hands graduates reported a high job satisfaction rating among Sports Massage Therapists, which weren’t just monetary. Most athlete/clients keep themselves in tip top shape and are eager to make the life-style changes necessary for positive change. When they’re injured, they usually seek help immediately, making it easier for SMTs to locate the area of dysfunction and address the cause to facilitate healing. This ability to affect change and healing so quickly, can be very satisfying for the Massage Therapist.
For students considering specializing in Sports Massage, Harmony offers the following advice:
“To succeed in the arena of Sports Massage Therapy, you will need to develop competency in certain advanced techniques. The following are our faculty’s:
Top 10 Sports Massage Therapy Course Recommendations:
1) Advanced Circulatory and Sports Massage
2) Medical Massage & Assessment
3) Sports Injuries & Neuro Muscular Therapy
4) Clinical Massage
5) Therapeutic Stretching
6) Structural Analysis
7) Structural Integration
8) Myofascial Meridians for Pain Relief
9)Trigger Point Therapy, and
10) Deep Tissue Manipulations.
To learn more about our Sports Massage classes, or any of the 80+ Massage and Holistic Health courses offered at Healing Hands, please visit us online at www.HealilngHandsSchool.com or call us at (760) 746-9364 in Escondido, (858) 505-1100 in San Diego (Kearny Mesa) or (949) 305-2722 in Laguna Hills.
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