The Role of Sports Massage in Injury Prevention and Absence Management Ben Scott BSc (hons) MSMA

What is Sports Massage? Soft tissue therapy - Muscles - Tendons - Ligaments EffleurageCompressionTorqueVibration Dermal lifting TapotementStretching Aims to restore muscles to their normal resting length

When is Sports Massage Useful? 3 Sports phases: - Pre-event - Intermediate - Post-event Injury Prevention RehabilitationRelaxation - Clinically - Psychologically Aims to restore muscles to their normal resting length

What can Sports Massage do? Inadequate clinical research, therefore limited evidence Massive anecdotal evidence Restores muscles to their normal resting length Helps maintain optimum muscle condition Effective in treating back pain Reduces risk of Occupational Overuse Syndrome Decreases Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) Effective in treating Chronic Compartment Syndrome

Absence UK Health and Safety Executive on Fire Service absence: “The injury and ill health rates are above average” “Scope for significant improvement”

Absence statistics Local government (inc. police and fire)10.9 days/year £644 /employee/year Private services6.8 days/year £568 /employee/year Manufacturing services8.4 days/year £624 /employee/year Australian public sector ( ) = any one day 1 in 20 employees absent (unscheduled leave) In 2005 the local government absence rate was unchanged from 2004

Absence statistics cntd….  Size of agency =  Rate of absence  Size of agency =  Length of absence Small % of employees account for bulk of sick leave e.g. 20% - No days 17% -  10 days The vast majority of people want to get back to work

Main causes of absence Health  Lifestyle  Accidents  CultureFamily Management Action  Work related Minor illness Back pain  Musculo-skeletal injuries  Stress  Recurring medical conditions

Absence Management 3 Main strategies: - Record absence statistics - Early intervention  - Targets / Benchmarking “Early medical intervention will significantly speed up recovery and reduce absence due to sickness and ill-health” (Worcester NHS Trust) “Reducing absence is not just about policies and procedures. It is about skills and roles” Sports Massage can provide necessary skills and play an important role

Role of a Sports Massage Practitioner Absence prevention AssessmentAdviceTreatment Maintenance bodywork Relaxation / Revitalising Absence limitation / reduction AssessmentAdviceTreatmentReferral

Sports Massage as an early intervention Without Sports Massage With Sports massage

What level of qualifications are there in Sports Massage? 3 Levels of qualification: Government funded vocational training ‘level 3’ - ITEC, VTCT, Premier IQ qualifications - predominately run in local FE colleges though some private providers run these awards - the National Occupational Standards are currently written that those graduating are qualified to work ‘under supervision of doctor or physiotherapist’, so not covered to work as self-employed/independent practitioners (although many do!) Private training providers – ‘self-regulated’ - standards vary enormously, there are even some online massage courses available! SMA accredited courses – SMA assures standards and quality of training and as such the graduates have met the minimum requirements for 'independent practice'

References Absence Management, A Survey of Policy and Practice Chartered Institute of Professional Development Absence Management in the Australian Public Service. Audit Report No. 52, The effects of Massage on delayed onset muscle soreness. Br J Sports Med 2003; 37,72-75 Effects of Massage on delayed-onset muscle soreness, swelling and recovery of muscle function. J Athl Tr 2005 Jul-Sep; 40(3), Preliminary evidence of the short term effectiveness of alternative treatments for lower back pain. Technol and Healthcare; 13(6), Effective physical treatment for chronic lower back pain. Orthop Clin North Am 2004 Jan; 35(1), A review of the evidence for the effectiveness, safety and cost of acupuncture, massage therapy and spinal manipulation for back pain. Ann Intern Med 2003 Jun 3; 138(11), Massage treatment for back pain. BMJ 2003 March 15; 326(7389),