Ok, before we start this is not a jab at sports massage practitioners, this is observations over the last few years, and complaints I have heard from many of my colleagues.
Sports Massage and Sports Therapy are two distinctly different professions, but something we sports therapists find extremely annoying is sports massage practitioners that call themselves sports therapists.
Colleagues are reporting that some SMP's are advertising as ST's, and when they get clients in for problems that ST's treat everyday, they are telling them they cant treat them, and they should go and see a physio! This is really doing the reputation of sports therapists down, and I shall be contacting all the Sports Massage professional associations to see if they will write into their codes of conduct that SMPs do NOT call themselves ST's.
As I said at the start of this posting im not knocking sports massage as a profession. In my opinion everyone should have a sports massage at least once a month to keep themselves in good condition.
A comparison between sports massage and sports therapy:
A sports massage practitioner can perform sports massage with the following benefits (taken from the Sports Massage Association website):Improve circulation & lymphatic flow;
Assist in the removal of metabolic waste;
Sedate or stimulate nerve endings;
Increase or decrease muscle tone;
Increase or decrease muscle length;
Remodel scar tissue when required;
Assist in mental preparation for sporting participation.
A Sports Therapist can offer sports massage plus added remedial massage techniques such as M.E.T.s, Peripheral Joint Mobilisations, Neuromuscular Techniques and Soft Tissue Release for not only the above benefits, but also to treat muscular injuries/dysfunction. ST's are also trained to assess for muscle and joint dysfunction, using specialised techniques, and therefore would not have to refer within their scope of practice. ST's use taping and strapping and the vast majority are trained in the use of ultrasound. Cryotherapy is used to treat acute injuries and Thermal therapy is used to treat chronic problems. Rehabilitation after injury is a large part of an ST's role, as well as fitness testing/instruction and exercise therapy. Finally ST's are trained to give basic nutritonal advice, and in sports psychology techniques such as visualisation and motivation, to aid their clients further.
So you can see that a SMP can perform only a small percentage of what an ST is trained to do.
Our closest relative would be the Sport & Remedial Massage therapist, who would be trained in sports massage and remedial massage techniques, and some of the courses cover such things as remedial exercise and injury assessment.
It is interesting that with the new NICE report on lower back pain and its recommendation that massage be used as a treatment modality, the bulk of the soft tissue work will be performed not just by physios (with additional massage training), chiros and osteos, but by Sports Therapists and Remedial Masseurs, as they are the ones with the specialist training. It has been reported to me that Sports Therapists will be employed by NHS trusts, starting in the Midlands, and hopefully rolling out around the country.
If you do feel that you know of any SMPs advertising their services as an ST, it would be useful if you could check which Professional Association they belong to, so that we can sort this out for the benefit of ST's throughout the country. I dont mean for this to sound like a witchhunt, but why should we be losing business to people that arent trained to do what some of them claim to be able to do!?
Sports Massage and Sports Therapy are two distinctly different professions, but something we sports therapists find extremely annoying is sports massage practitioners that call themselves sports therapists.
Colleagues are reporting that some SMP's are advertising as ST's, and when they get clients in for problems that ST's treat everyday, they are telling them they cant treat them, and they should go and see a physio! This is really doing the reputation of sports therapists down, and I shall be contacting all the Sports Massage professional associations to see if they will write into their codes of conduct that SMPs do NOT call themselves ST's.
As I said at the start of this posting im not knocking sports massage as a profession. In my opinion everyone should have a sports massage at least once a month to keep themselves in good condition.
A comparison between sports massage and sports therapy:
A sports massage practitioner can perform sports massage with the following benefits (taken from the Sports Massage Association website):Improve circulation & lymphatic flow;
Assist in the removal of metabolic waste;
Sedate or stimulate nerve endings;
Increase or decrease muscle tone;
Increase or decrease muscle length;
Remodel scar tissue when required;
Assist in mental preparation for sporting participation.
A Sports Therapist can offer sports massage plus added remedial massage techniques such as M.E.T.s, Peripheral Joint Mobilisations, Neuromuscular Techniques and Soft Tissue Release for not only the above benefits, but also to treat muscular injuries/dysfunction. ST's are also trained to assess for muscle and joint dysfunction, using specialised techniques, and therefore would not have to refer within their scope of practice. ST's use taping and strapping and the vast majority are trained in the use of ultrasound. Cryotherapy is used to treat acute injuries and Thermal therapy is used to treat chronic problems. Rehabilitation after injury is a large part of an ST's role, as well as fitness testing/instruction and exercise therapy. Finally ST's are trained to give basic nutritonal advice, and in sports psychology techniques such as visualisation and motivation, to aid their clients further.
So you can see that a SMP can perform only a small percentage of what an ST is trained to do.
Our closest relative would be the Sport & Remedial Massage therapist, who would be trained in sports massage and remedial massage techniques, and some of the courses cover such things as remedial exercise and injury assessment.
It is interesting that with the new NICE report on lower back pain and its recommendation that massage be used as a treatment modality, the bulk of the soft tissue work will be performed not just by physios (with additional massage training), chiros and osteos, but by Sports Therapists and Remedial Masseurs, as they are the ones with the specialist training. It has been reported to me that Sports Therapists will be employed by NHS trusts, starting in the Midlands, and hopefully rolling out around the country.
If you do feel that you know of any SMPs advertising their services as an ST, it would be useful if you could check which Professional Association they belong to, so that we can sort this out for the benefit of ST's throughout the country. I dont mean for this to sound like a witchhunt, but why should we be losing business to people that arent trained to do what some of them claim to be able to do!?