Profile of Remo Bucci
Profile of Remo Bucci
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Remo Bucci has focused on treating athletes since early on in his nearly 30-year career as an RMT. He is involved in the daily training environment and attends camps and competitions for Athletics Canada, Cycling Canada, and Swim Canada. He has also been an RMT for several different Major Games Canada (MGC) events, which most recently included the 2023 Pan Am Games, 2022 Commonwealth Games, and 2020 and 2016 Summer Olympics.
He was able to apply to various MGC events while working in a multidisciplinary clinic, and through his skill set, understanding of the culture of sport and the Canadian sport system, patience and being a team player, he was able to transition to focusing only on athlete care.
As he has focused his career on athletes’ care, he noticed the biggest difference is the necessary awareness of and concern for the athlete’s performance in their sport.
“We are accountable to the coaches and athletes to ensure the athletes are performing at their optimum in training and at competitions,” Remo said. “Therefore, we are constantly in communication with them as well as other disciplines.”
This includes an awareness of what sort of training the athletes are participating in so the RMT can adjust their treatment accordingly, accounting for potential soreness and risk of injury. It’s important to have regular communication with other health professionals on the team as many organizations have specific protocols for how athlete rehabilitation is handled, by RMTs and other health professionals.
“In a situation where an athlete is injured, the initial assessment is performed by either a Sport Physiotherapist, Athletic Therapist, or Sport Chiropractor,” Remo said. “One of these three health disciplines oversees the rehab program which includes the RMT, the Sports Medical Doctor and Strength & Conditioning Coach, and possibly the Sport Dietitian and Mental Performance Consultant. There will be a weekly support team meeting to discuss the progression of the rehab.”
The goal of the organizations that Remo works with is to ensure that athletes can be at their top performance for training and competition, so RMTs must be more on top of any minor issue that an athlete presents with so that it doesn’t get exasperated to the point where it disrupts their training. Remo finds that this approach is necessary to ensure the best possible treatment for athletes.
“The recovery needs to be as efficient as possible in order for the athlete to return to a full training schedule”, Remo said. “The staff will make every effort to work around the athlete and coach’s schedule.”
Athletes understand how important it is to integrate massage therapy into their healthcare routine. They understand that RMTs are well-trained and experts in soft tissue manipulation. They’ve often experienced massage therapy to help them with relaxing their muscles, reducing the strain and discomfort of training, and relieving muscle soreness after strenuous exercise, among many other benefits. It is important that RMTs understand how their skills can best be applied to a sports environment.
“RMTs need to be committed, patient, and immerse themselves in the sport in order to truly effectively treat and enhance the athlete’s performance in training and competition,” Remo said.
Getting involved with National Sports Organizations (NSOs), especially as a primary career focus, can take a lot of time and hard work. Remo recommends first choosing one or two sports you’d like to be involved with in the long term, because developing relationships with the athletes, coaches and staff is extremely important. He then recommends learning the sport and the culture that surrounds it. He also recommends participating in a sport massage course to learn what the protocols are and what techniques would be most effective in different situations.
You should have a variety of skill sets and techniques that you’re comfortable with, and strengthen your existing skills especially when it comes to assessment and joint play. When you become involved with a team, you should make them aware of the full range of your skillset.
Working with a sports team can mean long hours – you’re often the first to arrive and the last to leave. You will sometimes work outside your role as an RMT doing things like retrieving towels or carrying equipment. Sometimes, at first, working with a team is more like a volunteer position until you’re able to prove your worth. You can offset this by asking the team to have your business/clinic advertised on their website, have your business sign out while working at a competition, have business cards available, and/or have athletes follow your professional Instagram account. Eventually, if athletes find you effective, they can refer people to your clinic, which can generate revenue. If the team sees the value in keeping you then you can negotiate.
“It will take time (possibly multiple years) so be patient,” Remo said. “You have to be at the right place and at the right time.”
For RMTs travelling with a team, you’re encouraged to remain physically fit because it’s demanding work and you don’t want to get injured while you’re away, so Remo recommends exercising and receiving massage therapy leading up to your time travelling with the team.
Remo recommends RMTs interested in working with athletes join the Canadian Sport Massage Therapists’ Association (CSMTA). The CSMTA is recognized by the Canadian Olympic Committee, Canadian Paralympic Committee, and Major Games Canada, therefore, to be part of the Health Services Team for Olympics and Paralympics the RMT must be a CSMTA Sport Fellow. One of the qualifications to be Certified in High Performance with Sport Scientist Canada is also to be a CSMTA Sport Fellow. It’s both these qualifications, as well as the potential for connection that Remo finds beneficial.
“If your goal is to work at grass roots and/or local clubs, then what better way to be affiliated with like minded RMTs,” Remo said.
Remo finds that the protocols established when working with other health professionals to treat individuals on the same sports team could also apply to other interprofessional collaboration scenarios. He recommends that all RMTs have established times to have discussions with their fellow health professionals about their scope of practice, skill sets, treatment protocols and the patient’s progress throughout the treatment.
“It can take time to trust each other but you need to communicate respectfully, effectively, and consistently,” Remo said. “The primary focus is to treat the client in the best way possible, which is by working together.”
RMTs are an integral part of the health teams for NSOs and various MGC events. By following the suggestions above, working closely with other members of the health team, and taking the time to truly understand the sport of the athletes you’re working with, Remo believes that RMTs can continue to help high-level athletes perform as well as they possibly can at training and in competition.