Injuries come with the territory of being an athlete; for many athletes, it has been the bane of their careers. It is a near-normal occurrence for athletes to get injured and go through the recovery process because it comes with the deal, but seasoned sports massage therapist Jim Bradham is looking to change that through his brand, Game Changer Sports Recovery.
As an experienced sports massage therapist for over two decades, Jim Bradham set out on a mission to help educate and treat athletes globally. “My goal is to help to educate the youth on how to take care of themselves to prevent injuries in the future. I’ve developed trigger point protocols to help prevent and speed up injury recovery time,” he explained.
Game Changer Sports Recovery operates by combining all aspects of health to help players achieve optimal health and perform at the highest level in the sport they love so much. The brand targets athletes globally with a variety of products to ensure health and fitness, most notable of which is Jim Bradham’s Basketball Muscle Health Checklist. The checklist highlights a step-by-step set of instructions on how to stay on top of one’s health and perform at a high level while preventing injuries.
Hydration
Hydrate well before, during, and after playing. Muscles will perform better and longer and will be at less risk of cramping or injury. Start off with a pedialyte or any electrolyte-rich sports drink with a small percentage of sugar. Follow this up with water.
Nutrition
muscles need calcium, magnesium, B12, potassium, vitamin D, C, A, E, and a host of other nutrients to function properly.
Sleep
Keep a regular sleep schedule, a relaxing bedtime routine, avoiding stimulants, and a good sleep environment.
Keeping stress in check
Take a time-out, limit caffeine, exercise daily, slow count to 10, accept that you can’t control everything, and talk to someone.
Address trigger points
After playing, roll out each of the muscle groups individually to break down the lactic acid build up. This will bring in fresh blood, oxygen, and glucose needed by the muscles to function properly. Hydrate really well afterwards to flush it all out.
Strength and conditioning
It’s important to keep our muscles strong and conditioned. Hydrate well and roll out in general before doing a strength and conditioning routine.
Mobility
Hydrate and roll out muscles before doing a mobility routine. This will make sure your muscles are functioning properly before you try and stretch them out. Do this before and after playing.
His two decades of work and the outstanding results he has achieved have landed Jim Bradham features in notable media publications like New York Weekly, LA Weekly, Kivo Daily, The Source and many others. He also recently partnered with his friend, The Bone Collector, who’s the deadliest streetball/NBA trainer to ever play and together, they are working to make a difference in athletes’ lives.
“Many players will give anything to go a full season without injuries. Injuries keep them out of action, affect their mental health and significantly reduce the amount of playing time they can get in their careers. And having worked closely with athletes over the years, I know exactly what it’s like. So, I asked myself, why not do something about this? And here we are creating products that keep our favorite players in active play at no risk of getting injured,” Jim Bradham explained.
Jim hopes to keep making an impact in people’s lives over the next few years by giving athletes a fair chance at continued success without a break in their career as a result of injuries.
About Jim Bradham
A sports therapist for over 20 years, Jim Bradham started Game Changer Sports Recovery to help educate and treat athletes all over the world. His goal is to help educate the youth on self-care and ways to prevent life-changing injuries. He’s developed trigger point protocols to help speed up the recovery time necessary for athletes, as well as a basketball muscle health protocol and checklist. A renowned contributor, he has been featured on New York Weekly, LA Wire, Kivodaily.com as well as the Source. His children, Brooke, Sydney and Gabe have always been his biggest supporters, as well as his inspiration to be the best father and person he could be. “Without them, I wouldn’t be where I am today,” Jim says.
