The benefits of massage therapy for elite student athletes are getting more attention as some of the biggest programs integrate the practice with intention and enthusiasm.
by David Malone, May 1, 2026
The Big Dance. Cinderellas. Bracketology. The Final Four. Every year when March rolls around, 68 teams vie to cut down the nets and hoist the NCAA Championship Trophy. But to do so is no easy feat, with the winner needing to win six single-elimination games in a two-week period.
Massage therapy has become part of some of the most elite programs’ winning strategies—and not just during the tournament, but throughout the season.
Massage therapy has transitioned from a spot treatment meant to target a specific condition or injury to being a regular part of a player’s wellness routine.
“Our use of massage therapy has evolved significantly in recent years, both in how intentionally it’s applied and how fully it’s integrated into our overall sports medicine model,” says Jose Fonseca, Duke’s Associate Director of Athletic Medicine/Head Men’s Basketball Athletic Trainer. “It has transitioned from an ‘as-needed’ modality to a strategic, integrated element.”
Athletic directors at the University of Michigan also use massage therapy in an intentional, focused way year-round to help keep players healthy.
“We use massage therapy in season and out of season here at Michigan,” explains Chris Williams, an athletic trainer for the men’s basketball team. “In season, we use massage for recovery for our entire roster. Every week, we have two massage therapists come to our facility to work with our athletes for 30–60 minutes each. In the off season, we use massage therapy as needed for injuries and recovery on an individual basis.”
Similarly, Duke University uses massage therapy as both a preventive and restorative measure. “Massage therapy is an integral part of our comprehensive program,” says Fonseca. “We use it as both a preventive and restorative tool, tailored to the individual needs of each student-athlete and the demands of the competitive calendar.”
Nick Richey, senior associate athletic trainer, men’s basketball at Michigan State University, makes sure that massage remains integrated into the basketball program by including soft tissue days during the week, typically on Friday mornings, where the sole focus is massage therapy. “We will often try and sneak in some time during a week where we have high volume practice and game play as well,” he adds.
The team’s massage therapist also travels with the team, Richey says. “We book our therapist in advance so that she can travel with us and be available in the hotel and/or after games in a tournament setting,” he explains.
During heavy travel, Williams improvises when the team’s massage therapists, who only travel during tournaments, aren’t there. “I contact the massage therapists the host team uses and schedule massages at our hotel the night before the game or early in the morning of the game,” he says.
The same is true at Duke University. “We travel our massage therapist during the post season where there is a high demand for soft tissue work and small windows for treatment,” Fonseca says.
Massage therapy is an integral part of our comprehensive program.
Jose Fonseca, Duke University
Nick Richey, senior associate athletic trainer, men’s basketball at Michigan State University, makes sure that massage remains integrated into the basketball program by including soft tissue days during the week, typically on Friday mornings, where the sole focus is massage therapy. “We will often try and sneak in some time during a week where we have high volume practice and game play as well,” he adds.
The team’s massage therapist also travels with the team, Richey says. “We book our therapist in advance so that she can travel with us and be available in the hotel and/or after games in a tournament setting,” he explains.
During heavy travel, Williams improvises when the team’s massage therapists, who only travel during tournaments, aren’t there. “I contact the massage therapists the host team uses and schedule massages at our hotel the night before the game or early in the morning of the game,” he says.
The same is true at Duke University. “We travel our massage therapist during the post season where there is a high demand for soft tissue work and small windows for treatment,” Fonseca says.
The mental reset is very beneficial for us. During a tournament setting, massage encourages relaxation, which is helping us with sleep after a game.
Nick Richey, Michigan State University
Although fair to say that a majority of the work focuses on the physical benefits offered by massage therapy, many athletic directors and trainers acknowledge the very real advantage of having players who can relax and get good sleep.
“The mental reset is also very beneficial for us,” Richey says. “I also think that during a tournament setting, massage encourages relaxation, which is helping us with sleep after a game.”
Assessment is key to players getting the most benefit. “I always go in with the standard SOAP notes method, asking them if there is anything in particular that’s bothering them, and then I write it down to see whether or not improvement is happening when I work on them next,” says Jenna Sundberg, a licensed massage therapist who works with Iowa State university basketball players.
Sundberg will write her own observations down after each session (which typically lasts 30 minutes) and tell the player about anything she’s noticed. Sundberg can then plan an approach to help players sustain the benefits, as well as what they might need to address in subsequent massage sessions, whether stretching, deep tissue or other specific massage techniques.
“No matter the positions they play on the court, most of the players have the same ailments when it comes to the focus of their massage,” Sundberg says. “For example, most common areas of focus would be their traps and arms, which could be caused by the guarding or shooting that happens during a game. The same could be said for tension in their hamstrings, quadriceps or gastrocnemius muscles. With all the moving and jumping that is going on, muscles are in constant movement and become worn out.”
Additionally, taller players may have more impact on their muscles compared to a shorter player, which could cause a slight difference in their sessions.
Thomas Matthews, LMBT and Certified Advanced Rolfer, who works with players at Duke University, uses subjective self-reporting as his most important form of assessment on a weekly basis.
“These young, elite athletes know their bodies extremely well, even if they are not always able to articulate in words their physical experience as clearly as older clients do,” he says. “Learning to speak and reflect the language that they themselves use about their own bodies is critical in this regard. I also do a standing postural assessment and walking gait assessment before each treatment.”
The assessment doesn’t just take place in the massage therapy room. Matthews also watches all the games to have an ongoing sense of how the players move through space and what injuries, surgeries and/or challenges they have encountered on a game-by-game basis.
As with most massage therapy that happens in a sports setting, communication between the massage therapist and the rest of the training staff is crucial to success.
Sundberg checks in with the team’s athletic trainer before starting any massage work to see if they have any players needing more focus on certain muscles that may be injured. “This could be a more specialized focus with technique or even be the only area of focus for the duration of their massage,” says Sundberg.
Communication is a two-way street, so while it is important for the massage therapist to communicate with the trainers, it is also important for the trainers to maintain strong, consistent communication with the massage therapists, as well.
“We coordinate very closely, and communication with our massage therapist is consistent, direct and intentional throughout the season,” says Fonseca. “We have regular check-ins, pre-treatment direction, post-treatment feedback, injury/rehab coordination, and schedule-based adjustments.”
Matthews appreciates this approach. “Their support and belief in my work means everything and we are in constant communication regarding scheduling and player needs,” he says. “The staff are clear and precise in what is contraindicated for some players during the course of recovery from injury, but they generally trust me to assess, evaluate and treat players as I see fit.”
At the University of Michigan, Williams sits down with the team’s two massage therapists as soon as the team’s schedule is released in the fall in order to book dates when both the therapists can come in. Massages are scheduled once a week for recovery in season.
“If there is an athlete that has an active injury or needs more recovery, I contact the massage therapist and schedule a time that works best for the athlete and the therapist,” Williams says. “I always have a sheet that has the athlete’s name, time they are scheduled to be massaged and the reason for the massage. I share this with the two therapists as soon as they come in so they know what to expect.”
Williams encourages athletes to communicate directly with the therapists during the massage to let them know if the pressure is too much or not enough, as well as to let them know of any other needs they may have for the session.
The techniques used during a massage session with the players are typically a combination of sports massage, myofascial, and/or deep tissue, but the best way to judge what technique will work best for a specific player is to find the one that best suits their goals.
“Our decisions are driven by load, tissue response, injury history, and the athlete’s role and minutes played,” Fonseca explains. “The goal is to individualize care so each player gets exactly what they need to stay healthy, available and performing at a high level.”
“I have received training in sports massage, manual physical therapy techniques, scar work, craniosacral therapy and Rolf Movement Integration,” Matthews says. “I am comfortable using whatever technique best suits the goals of the session and the needs of my client in the moment.”
Goals are what drive decisions for Sundberg, too. “It really depends on the athlete’s goal with their session and areas of focus that I am working on,” she says.
“Ultimately, our goal is to use massage therapy to keep student-athletes healthy, available and performing at a high-level, while reinforcing a holistic approach to long-term well-being and recovery,” Fonseca says.
For Matthews, timing dictates much of how he works with the athletes. “I do not see players immediately post-game except during tournament play,” he notes. “During the season, my approach varies more on how the player’s body is doing on any given day than where we are in the practice/game schedule. If there is reason for structural or functional change, we go there. If his body is exhausted, we support rest, inner sensing and whatever else is helpful.”
Matthews says that when players are tired, he tends to do more long, indirect holds. “Foot and ankle work are always important,” he adds.
At Duke, the benefits of massage therapy are so clear, the program is in the process of making space for their massage therapist to be on-site. “We are in the final design stages of a new building, and we are putting in a massage room,” Fonseca says. “So, we are excited to add our massage therapist in-house.”
Ultimately, our goal is to use massage therapy to keep student-athletes healthy, available and performing at a high-level, while reinforcing a holistic approach to long-term well-being and recovery.
Jose Fonseca, Duke University
Playing at Duke University wasn’t the first time the basketball player we talked with had heard of the benefits of massage therapy. “During my senior year in high school, I heard from some other players about how massage might be beneficial,” he explains.
Going to an elite program turned those whispers into real-life experience with how massage therapy can be integrated into training. “For me, I believe massage helps most in recovery,” the player tells us, but he receives massage weekly, “… which keeps my body feeling great.”
Communication between players and the massage therapists who work with them is important, as everyone we spoke to noted, including the player. “We have great communication before and during each session,” he explains.
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