Sports Massage Therapy Keeping Chicago Teams Strong
Article by Brandon Thomas
Sports massage therapy has been demonstrated to be effective for athletes competing at the highest levels. But its also been in the news recently in the Chicago sports world as two of the citys baseball stars are using massage therapy to limit the impact of injuries and speed along the recovery process.
Indeed, as the Chicago Tribune reported (Massage therapist helps Peavy stay on track, May 12, 2011), Jake Peavy, starting pitcher for the Chicago White Sox, credited sports massage therapy for helping him recover from a shoulder injury. In the article, Peavy said his massage therapist helped reduce the amount of scar tissue buildup following a shoulder injury, and said that the therapist most likely saved him from having to have another surgery.
Similarly, Chicago Cubs ace pitcher Carlos Zambrano has been using sports massage therapy to ease a stiff neck. In a recent article published on ESPNs Website (Carlos Zambrano won’t miss start, May 27, 2011), Zambrano said a regimen of exercise and sports massage would keep him in the starting lineup despite his injury.
As attention shifts to baseball (with, sadly, both the Chicago Bulls and Blackhawks recently eliminated from the playoffs), Zambranos and Peavys stories serve as reminders of how sports massage therapy has helped and continues to help other Chicago sports teams.
With the Bulls, the team continues to feature massage therapists on its staff, and one of the teams therapists was credited by Sports Illustrated with keeping Scottie Pippen healthy during its last successful finals run in 1998 (Six Shooter, June 22, 1998). In game 3 of the finals Pippen was suffering so much from a lower back ailment that he couldn’t lift his leg onto the training table in the locker room. But with the teams massage therapist working on his lower back during halftime, he was able to go out and play in the second half.
The Chicago Blackhawks meanwhile not only have a massage therapist on staff for the team, but the team also features him on its Webpage. The Chicago Bears meanwhile have employed a massage therapist for over 10 years, while even the citys soccer team, the Chicago Fire, keep a therapist on staff to attend to its players.
While corporate massage and chair massage feature prominently in the wellness programs of major businesses in Chicago, its safe to say that sports massage carries its own weight in helping out the city as well. Hopefully with a little luck and some good massage therapy Chicago can get its third major sporting championship of the 21st century!
About the Author
Brandon Thomas is the founder of JoyLife Therapeutics. JoyLife Therapeutics provides corporate massage, chair massage, office massage, trade show and sports massage throughout the US.
