10-Second Press Test: A Simple Sports Massage Therapist Hack

Have you heard of Sports Massage Therapy? Maybe you have received treatment before? Or have a friend who is in the profession? If you haven’t, don't worry. Keep on reading to find out about Sports Massage Therapy and the 10-second press test. 

In this week's blog, we are going to introduce you to this fantastic treatment with a simple technique. But before we start, we need to learn about what sports massage really is. 

What is Sports Massage Therapy?

“Sports massage is a form of massage involving the manipulation of soft tissue to benefit a person engaged in regular physical activity.”

As a Personal Trainer, learning Sports Massage therapy techniques will give you the knowledge and tools to assess and treat your client’s injuries. By upskilling yourself, you can help your clients progress in the gym and in their day-to-day lives.

It is a great additional income too, creating a complete personal training package for your clients. 

{ Add Sports Massage Therapy to your qualifications } 

So to introduce you to the subject, we have a quick and simple technique that helps select the correct treatment for your clients: Welcome to the 10 Second Press Test.

The 10-Second Press Test:

The 10-second press test is a quick simple way to select a treatment option for a client with perceived muscle tightness.

Let's dive into it, to perform the test, follow the method shown below:

Apply pressure to the area of discomfort, continue to apply the pressure until the client’s pain reaches 7/10. Then keep that pressure for 10 seconds and to a maximum of 20 seconds.

During this time your client will experience one of the following reactions:

1. Pain increases: current inflammation in the area where the pressure point is used.
2.  Pain remains constant: no inflammation nor trigger points react
3. Pain decrease: no inflammation; the tissue is responding to trigger points being relaxed

When we assess the levels of inflammation within the client and pinpoint its location, we can then decipher which is the best possible treatment or technique to continue with. 

Throughout the process, we must remain professional and look for the client’s feedback throughout.

Let’s take a look at the types of client feedback:

Verbal: Words used

Visual: Body language, eye contact or facial expression

Kinaesthetic: Tissue responses, muscles rightness or physical recoil.

This is a technique that is used by sports massage therapists to gauge a client's needs within the session. It allows them to move forward with the right type of treatment. 

Disclaimer: Only use this if you’re a qualified sports massage therapist to ensure you’re practising safe techniques. 

There you have it, your very basic introduction to Sports Massage Therapy. Does this interest you? Can you see this helping your personal training clients?

Or are you new to fitness and love the thought of helping others?

{ Then become a sports massage therapist }

See what one of our previous students thought of our Sports Massage Therapist course:

Sports Massage Therapy Course Review with Steve Atkinson from Fit Training International on Vimeo.