What skills and knowledge are required to become a sports massage therapist?
In order to become a sports massage therapist, the skills you must have are:
- Reading
- Math
- Writing
- Speaking & listening
- Computer literacy
- Problem-solving & decision-making
- Understanding the broader picture
- Working with people
In addition to these basic skills you need:
- A strong work ethic
- A positive attitude
- Independence & initiative
- Self-presentation
- Manual dexterity, physical strength, and stamina
- Empathy
- Business sense
- Ethical behaviour
- Networking to attract new clients
- A calm, reassuring, and professional manner
- Detailed knowledge of human anatomy and physiology
What Qualifications are needed?
Several awarding bodies have developed courses in massage, including the Vocational Training Charitable Trust (VTCT) and International Therapy Examination Council (ITEC). Course entry requirements will vary, however, GCSEs (A-C) in English, Maths and biology, or a BTEC (Edexcel), VTCT or ITEC Certificate or Diploma in anatomy and physiology are useful and sometimes essential.
NEXT PAGE PHYSIOTHERAPY
What is a Physiotherapist?
Physiotherapists help and treat people of all ages with physical problems caused by illness, accident or ageing. Physiotherapists work with a broad variety of physical problems, especially those associated with the neuromuscular, musculoskeletal, cardiovascular and respiratory systems.
Physiotherapy is a healthcare profession which sees human movement as central to the health and well-being of individuals. Physiotherapists identify and maximise movement potential through health promotion, preventive healthcare, treatment and rehabilitation.
What is your role as a physiotherapist?
Physiotherapists treat patients with a range of physical difficulties, which may be caused by accidents, disability, illness or ageing. They work with patients to maximise the range of movement they experience, and to promote health and wellbeing.
As a physiotherapist your work could include:
- helping patients with spinal and joint problems, especially after an operation
- assisting in the rehabilitation of patients recovering from accidents, sports injuries and strokes
- working with children who have mental or physical disabilities
- promoting greater mobility in older people experiencing physical problems.
Physiotherapy is particularly useful for people with problems surrounding the function of their muscles, bones, heart, circulation and lungs. You could work with clients in a range of areas and departments, such as paediatrics, outpatients, intensive care, women’s health and occupational health.
You would use a variety of treatments and techniques with patients, including:
- physical manipulation
- massage
- therapeutic exercise
- electrotherapy
- ultrasound
- acupuncture
- hydrotherapy.
As well as treating patients, you would keep accurate records of their treatment and progress.
What affect would this have on sports performance?
When an athlete sustains an injury their only concern is to get back to their pre- injury state. As a physiotherapist you may have to aid in rehabilitation and strengthening of tissues injured and offer advice on how to reduce the risk of injury.
What skills and knowledge is needed?
The core skills used by physiotherapists include manual therapy, therapeutic exercise and the application of electro-physical modalities. Physiotherapists also have an appreciation of psychological, cultural and social factors which influence their clients.
Physiotherapist must have a sound knowledge of treating:
- Outpatients
- intensive care patients
- those suffering women’s health
- care of the elderly
- stroke patients
- orthopaedics
- occupational health
- terminally ill
- paediatrics
What Qualifications are needed to become a Physiotherapist?
To become a chartered physiotherapist you need a physiotherapy degree approved by the Health Professions Council (HPC). This will make you eligible for state registration and membership of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP).
To get onto a degree in physiotherapy, you will usually need:
- at least five GCSEs (A-C) including maths, English and a range of science subjects
- four AS levels at grade B or above including a human biology or biology
The role of a physiotherapist and a sports massage therapist are very similar. A sport massage therapist however can play more of a role of pre, during and post event. Using massage techniques they can warm- up and warm the athlete down. However a physiotherapist’s role is usual within the rehabilitation of injuries however they can offer advice on how to prevent injuries occurring.
As both roles are very similar in dealing with injuries and needing the same detailed knowledge of anatomy and physiology both sports massage therapist and physiotherapist can work alongside one another.