HLTMSG018 - Adapt massage practice for athletes

For Melbourne campuses

Assessment tasks will be designed to reinforce & extend knowledge and skill competence within set & controlled parameters in accordance with each unit's learning outcomes & performance criteria requirements, including the setting of work-based practical application tasks designed to provide evidence of competence outcomes, within periodic and scheduled timelines.

Students will be expected to demonstrate the following required skills:

• perform three sport massages:

• including at least one pre-event, one post-event and one intra-event massage
• each of the above massages on a different athlete
• each of the above athletes participating in a different sport

• develop three different treatment plans:

• each to address the specific needs of a different athlete
• each addressing a different phase of the athlete’s training or competition cycle.

Students will also be expected to demonstrate the following knowledge:

• roles and responsibilities of different people associated with the health management of an athlete:

• sport and technique coach and instructor
• sport trainer
• strength and conditioning coach
• sport psychologist
• exercise physiologist
• medical practitioner
• physiotherapist
• chiropractor
• osteopath
• podiatrist
• exercise therapist
• dietician and nutritionist
• parent and guardian

• Commonwealth and State or Territory legal and ethical considerations for client assessment and treatment:

• codes of conduct
• duty of care
• informed consent
• mandatory reporting
• therapist and client boundaries
• privacy, confidentiality and disclosure
• records management
• work role boundaries:

  working within scope of practice
  presenting symptoms that require referral to a medical practitioner
  work health and safety (WHS)

• reasons athletes access sport massage treatment:

• injury
• preparation
• performance improvement
• recovery
• motivation
• pain
• stress

• pre-event, post-event and intra-event massage techniques and their application:

• physical warm-up
• mental preparation including stress management and motivation
• maintenance massage:

  muscle facilitation and stimulation
  muscle relaxation and parasympathetic response

• self-management and self-massage programs
• full range of movement of the joints and muscles using passive and assisted techniques

• environmental conditions which may impact treatment:

• availability of privacy
• availability of massage equipment:

  table
  chair
  draping
  bolster

• weather
• hygiene
• therapist posture
• sport-specific dangers

• common sport injuries and how massage may play a role in their treatment:

• sprain
• strain
• bursitis
• tendinopathy
• contusion
• cramp
• delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS)
• fracture
• dislocation
• compartment syndrome

• skin injuries and how massage therapists need to work in areas subject to:

• burns and sunburn
• laceration
• abrasion
• puncture wound
• blister

• types of cryotherapy and thermotherapy used for recovery from injury and techniques used to apply them:

• conduction including cold pack, ice massage and immersion bath
• convection including cooling device
• radiation
• friction
  topical application

• indications and considerations for use of cryotherapy and thermotherapy:

• myofascial hypertonicity
• pain
• adequate time to achieve cryotherapy and thermotherapy goals without causing adverse reaction

• contraindications for use of cryotherapy and thermotherapy:

• adverse reactions to topical application
• pain
• decreased sensitivity

• aspects of self-care for therapists:

• hydration
• nutrition
• posture
• ergonomics
• sleep
• rest and recovery
• stretching
• professional boundaries
• fitness to practice.