Schilz Mignon, Leach Lloyd
Department of Sport Recreation and Exercise Science, Faculty of Community and Health Sciences, University of the Western Cape (UWC), Bellville, South Africa.
Int J Ther Massage Bodywork. 2020 Feb 26;13(1):13-21. eCollection 2020 Mar.
Interest in sport massage is steadily increasing in recent times especially in developing countries. One study showed that general practitioners had minimal or no knowledge about sport massage therapy (SMT). Coaches, athletes, and sports medicine personnel have various beliefs about the benefits and efficacy of SMT. It would be prudent, therefore, for athletes who are frequent users of SMT to possess adequate knowledge and appropriate attitudes about SMT.
The purpose of this study was to determine the knowledge and perceptions of athletes about SMT.
The study setting was located in the City of Cape Town, Western Cape Province, South Africa.
A quantitative, cross-sectional and descriptive study design was used.
The study sample consisted of 100 conveniently sampled athletes, males and females aged 18 years and older, from various mountain biking and trail running events in the City of Cape Town.
A researcher-generated and self-administered demographic questionnaire was distributed amongst the participants either as a hardcopy or completed online via Google forms. The knowledge and perception questionnaire consisted of 10 knowledge and 17 perception questions, and was based on previously validated questionnaires. The data were analyzed descriptively using frequencies (percentages).
The results of the study indicated that the participants had a moderate-to-high knowledge of SMT and that they had positive perceptions overall about SMT.
This study indicated that athletes who made use of SMT were quite knowledgeable about SMT and that they were well-disposed towards SMT as a beneficial modality for sport performance and postexercise recovery.
近年来，人们对运动按摩的兴趣在不断增加，尤其是在发展中国家。一项研究表明，全科医生对运动按摩疗法（SMT）的了解很少或几乎没有了解。教练、运动员和运动医学人员对SMT的益处和功效有不同的看法。因此，对于经常使用SMT的运动员来说，拥有足够的知识和对SMT的正确态度是明智的。
本研究的目的是确定运动员对SMT的知识和认知。
研究地点位于南非西开普省开普敦市。
采用定量、横断面和描述性研究设计。
研究样本由100名方便抽样的运动员组成，年龄在18岁及以上，男女皆有，来自开普敦市的各种山地自行车和越野跑赛事。
一份由研究人员编制并自行填写的人口统计学问卷以纸质版形式分发给参与者，或通过谷歌表格在线完成。知识和认知问卷由10个知识问题和17个认知问题组成，基于先前经过验证的问卷。数据采用频率（百分比）进行描述性分析。
研究结果表明，参与者对SMT有中等到较高的了解，并且他们对SMT总体上有积极的看法。
本研究表明，使用SMT的运动员对SMT相当了解，并且他们对SMT作为提高运动成绩和运动后恢复的有益方式持积极态度。
