Fall Sports Start in August. Your Body Should Be Ready Before Practice Does.

August Means the Whole Family Is Moving Again

Back-to-school in Indianapolis doesn’t just mean new backpacks and early alarms. It means fall sports are here. High school cross country teams are logging their first real miles. Football two-a-days are underway. Tennis and soccer seasons are starting. And the adults in the house are adjusting to new schedules while trying to maintain their own training.

For student athletes, August is an abrupt transition. Many go from summer break, where activity was unstructured, to organized practices five or six days a week. Their bodies haven’t been loaded this way in months, and the combination of heat, volume, and intensity creates a setup for early-season injuries. For the parents who run, ride, or train alongside their kids’ schedules, August is where their own consistency starts to slip.

Why Young Athletes May Benefit From Massage Therapy

There’s a misconception that massage therapy is only for adults or elite athletes. In reality, student athletes carry significant physical stress, especially during fall sport preseason. Growing bodies are more vulnerable to overuse injuries because bones, tendons, and muscles develop at different rates during adolescence. A systematic review in the journal Sports found that massage therapy led to decreased depression, stress, and anxiety while increasing the perception of recovery in athletes across age groups (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37368560/). For a high school cross country runner in week two of doubles, or a football player whose hamstrings are already tight from two-a-days, therapeutic massage can be the difference between a full season and one cut short by a preventable injury.

Tracy Rupp, LMT, works with athletes of all ages at his Indianapolis practice, from professional cyclists and Colts players to high school tennis players and their parents. He adjusts pressure and technique based on the individual, and for younger athletes, the focus is on releasing tension, maintaining flexibility, and identifying problem areas before they escalate.

Fall Marathon Training Is in Full Swing

If you’re targeting the CNO Financial Indianapolis Monumental Marathon on November 8, August is the heart of your training block. Your long runs are getting longer, your weekly mileage is climbing, and the cumulative fatigue from summer is compounding. This is exactly when consistent bodywork pays off. The deep tissue massage approach Tracy uses for marathon runners targets the muscle groups that accumulate the most load during high-volume weeks: calves, hamstrings, quads, glutes, and hip flexors.

A 2017 meta-analysis in Frontiers in Physiology found that massage therapy reduced serum creatine kinase (CK) levels, a key marker of muscle damage, after strenuous exercise (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29021762/). For marathon runners building through August and September, lower CK levels mean less cumulative muscle damage and better recovery between hard efforts.

The Stress of Schedule Changes Shows Up in Your Muscles

August is  physically demanding as well as a logistical shift. New school schedules, earlier mornings, busier evenings, less time for the routines that kept you balanced through summer. That stress lands in the body whether you notice it or not. Jaw clenching. Shoulder tension. Lower back tightness from sitting in carpool lines or at back-to-school events.

If you’re a parent, educator, or healthcare worker managing the back-to-school transition while maintaining your own health, this is the month to prioritize your own recovery alongside your family’s. Tracy sees a notable increase in stress-related tension in August and September, and sessions that combine therapeutic massage with infrared sauna are particularly effective at addressing both the physical and nervous system components of that tension.

Building a Recovery Routine That Lasts Through Fall

August is a fresh start for a lot of people. If you’ve been inconsistent with your recovery this summer, now is the time to establish a schedule. Whether it’s a session every two weeks during heavy training or monthly maintenance to manage stress and posture, having a plan keeps you ahead of the problems that tend to snowball into the holidays. For guidance on building that consistency, the blog post  Reflecting on 2025: The Strength of Consistency in Your Wellness Journey.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can high school athletes benefit from massage?

Student athletes carry significant physical load during fall sports preseason, and their growing bodies are particularly susceptible to overuse injuries. Massage may help maintain flexibility, release accumulated tension, and identify problem areas early. Tracy adjusts his approach for younger athletes with appropriate pressure and technique.

How does fall sport training differ from summer, and how should recovery adapt?

Fall sports involve structured, repetitive training at higher intensities than most summer activities. The transition from unstructured summer movement to organized practices creates a spike in physical demand. Recovery should adapt by incorporating regular massage sessions, especially during the first four to six weeks when injury risk is highest.

What age is appropriate to start regular therapeutic massage?

There’s no strict minimum age. High school athletes may benefit from therapeutic massage, and even younger athletes involved in competitive sports can benefit from lighter bodywork focused on flexibility and recovery. The key is working with a therapist who understands how to adjust techniques for a wide range of patients..

Start the Season Right

Whether you’re a student athlete gearing up for cross country, a parent managing fall schedules, or a marathon runner deep in your training block, August is the month to lock in your recovery plan. Book Your Appointment Today.