If you have ever watched a large sporting events, such as the Olympics or the World Cup, you will have noticed how many massage therapists seem to be present. Whenever somebody falls or injures themselves, it seems as if therapists immediately start to run towards the athlete in an effort to fix them. Not just that, it appears that they are incredibly good at their jobs because the athletes will often get straight back up and return to their game. You can thank them for the quick recoveries on your fantasy team players. These therapists are not just any kind of therapist, they are a sports therapist like Mike Volitich.
The Need for Sports Therapists Like Mike Volitich
According to a recent study in the British Journal of sports medicine, 45% of the treatment that professional athletes receive during sporting events is that provided by sports therapists. Much of that treatment is in the form of massages. The reason for this is that this type of therapy offers athlete tremendous benefits, including lowering levels of swelling and increasing the strength of their muscles, even after they have taken part in lengthy strenuous exercise. Additionally, studies have shown that, following sports therapy, the body requires less energy in order to heal damaged muscles.
What this means is that professional athletes have an absolute requirement for sport therapy if they wish to continue to compete at a professional level. Specifically, sports therapy:
- Improves overall training because this type of therapy can reduce the chance of injury and lower levels of muscle pain. It’s also helps to keep the body healthy and flexible, which is important during rest days.
- Significantly improves performance, particularly if provided just before a competition. Sports therapy, and massage in particular, can make warm up exercises and stretches far more effective by energizing the muscles. It also lowers the chance of injury and pain experienced after the event.
- Can improve health in general. Various studies have shown that massage therapy and sports therapy is beneficial to blood circulation and absolutely essential to remove metabolic waste. Furthermore, it helps to maintain a strong immune system.
Clearly, sports therapy can benefit athletes regardless of their chosen sport. This is why these types of therapists can now find work in the field of tennis, soccer, basketball, golf, football, cycling, running, swimming, lacrosse, hockey, basketball, and any other sport. Their work ensures that athletes can retain the greatest health possible and therefore also the greatest performance. Considering around 50% of professional therapists now specializes in sports therapy, it becomes even clearer how popular this field of medicine actually is.
The field of sports therapy is also quickly developing. Not long ago, it didn’t venture very far outside of massage therapy. Today, it is a science in its own right that takes many years of study and is a specialization for physical therapists. In order for someone to become a sports therapist, therefore, they can expect to have to complete around 9 years of study. However, in return, they are quite royally compensated.
