You've all seen sports massage therapists at sporting events. But why are they there and what do they do?

At Fire & Earth Sports Massage we love to come to events and see our clients achieve their goals. The atmosphere is always so positive, even in bad weather! Supporting our local races and charities is an added bonus and being part of the running, cycling and triathlon communities is important to us. We make sure we have fun too! 

 

This year we've been at the Shakespeare Marathon, the Big Leicester 10k and the Coventry Sprint Triathlon so far. Coming up we have the Two Castles, Leamington Half, Arden 9, Myton Hospice Cycle Challenge and the Balsall Common Fun Run. 

 

 

Put simply, fast recovery is the primary purpose of a post-event massage. 

 

Massage immediately after an event can make a real difference in how stiff your legs become later, preventing DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness). It can also help prevent fatigue and tightness. 

 

We are looking to flush through fresh blood to help the muscles recover, whilst breaking down the lactic acid to speed recovery. It will assist a pain free recovery and return you to training quicker, with minimal soreness, inflammation and stiffness. 

 

The therapists use a lighter pressure than usual and the massages are short in duration - 10 minutes or so - as we want to avoid aggravating any muscle damage sustained during the race. 

 

Post-event massage can also identify injuries that may have occurred during the event, so they can be treated promptly. 

 

It is advisable to wait at least 48 hours after your race before having a full deep tissue sports massage. This will give any soreness time to ease and injuries to settle so they can be assessed properly by the therapist. 

 

After a big event if you can’t stay for a post-race rub down we suggest booking in for a full session 48 hours after. Don’t delay and let those DOMS set in, book online now and we'll get you back up and running!