Sports Massage Therapists Working with Minor Injuries

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It can be a little nerve-wracking when a patient comes to you suffering from road rash, sprains, and other minor injuries from sports. After all, you’re not quite a nurse, but you are expected to heal. The first thing to do as a sports massage therapist is to be the calm source of comfort for the patient, then attend to your responsibilities.

Your first task is to assess the patient’s injuries and, if necessary, refer them somewhere else if their pain or wounds need closer medical examination, like x-rays or stitches. You don’t have to send the patient away for any broken skin; you can use basic first aid for those minor injuries. However, remember never to massage on or close to open wounds.

Always remind the patient to keep hydrating during the healing process. Your mission as a sports massage therapist is to prevent secondary injuries, which are the onset of swelling. By doing this, you can also help prevent cellulitis, which is the rare internal infection of cells and tissue.

The acronym to remember when doing sports massage on minor injuries is R.I.C.E.—Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. The patient should not be exerting himself. Ice a wound for 20 minutes at most out of the hour, or until the area is numb. An ace bandage is a good example of compression—both compression and elevation help prevent fluid buildup (swelling) around a wound. To prevent secondary injury is to heal the athlete more quickly and more painlessly!

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