Sports massage is the manual manipulation of muscles specifically geared toward helping people with physically demanding lifestyles and/or hobbies. This type of therapeutic massage considers the impact of certain activities on specific joints, muscle groups, tendons, ligaments, and soft tissue groups. The mindful approach to sports massage therapy maximizes the benefit of certain massage techniques and supports additional exertion and physical activity. An initial assessment is used to create a specially informed massage therapy plan that will meet the specific needs of each athlete.