Treating Athletes usually requires a different approach from the regular population. Very often their bodies have compensated to allow them to perform at an elite level in their specific activity. In Osteopathy the main goal is to align the body back to a symmetrical standard. If an athlete is injured to the point where he is unable to play anymore, then continuing on with this method is feasible. However, if the athlete is being treated for maintenance, it may not be the best idea to fight the natural compensations of the body over and over again, knowing that the patient is required to perform certain motions repeatedly.
The brain is very smart and will change the body to limit energy output. If one was to work out their biceps all day every day, the bicep will never fully relax and remain in a slightly contracted stated, knowing that it is going to be used. You often see this in gym rats who work out their biceps and not their triceps. When they walk around their arms are bent in what seems to be in a permanent position. This is the same for all the smaller and less noticeable muscles throughout the body.
To treat the athlete wo requires maintenance, it is possible to take them the direction they like to go, and still relax the muscles. In the simple scenario of bicep and tricep, if you shorten the bicep to its shortest position by flexing the elbow and the shoulder, and then initiate extension of the elbow and the shoulder, you can relax the bicep. This is possible due to reflexes in the body which relax the antagonist muscle. Every time you flex your tricep, your bicep will relax, and vice versa.
Using this method of taking your body the way it likes to go, and at the same time relaxing the muscle allows an Osteopath to treat an athlete, while at the same time not causing harm to the body, or be a detriment to their performance.