FAQ


Q. What is your cancellation policy?
a. It's quite simple, you need to give us 24 hours notice if you want to avoid paying for a session you can't make. Why do we do this? For two reasons, firstly there are others who may be desperate to get in to see us, this period allows us to get them in for a session. The second is our livelyhood, when we can't fill a slot we lose money and potentially other new clients. This hits our back pockets.


Q. How does sports and remedial massage differ from normal massage?
a. Sports and Remedial massage is applied with your goals in mind, meaning we look at what you need and then apply the relevant technique(s) to help you reach your goals. These techniques vary from: finding muscle imbalances which may be the cause of your current issue and offering remedial exercises to correct them; questions about your sports equipment or mechanism of injury; along with treating the tissues which are crying out for attention. Your goals may vary depending on whether you are carrying an injury or are just needing to bring your legs back to life for your next training session.


Q. When should I have a regular sports massage?
a. There is no "best" time to have a sports massage, everyone differs in their needs and responds differently to treatment. As a sports person my general rule of thumb is this: if you have an injury which needs treating, it is best to leave it a few days after your heavy sessions so we can drop into the tissue without you leaving the couch. Muscles are very lively after interval sessions or heavy training loads, because the tissue is oversensitive at this point we can't sink into the muscles to relieve the injured tissue. If you are not injured and your muscles are sore post a hard session, then this is the best time to have a recovery treatment to keep you on track with your training plan. If you are treating yourself to a massage for the first time before an event, give yourself a few days for your muscles to settle after the treatment. Regular massage goers know how their bodies respond to a treatment, some bounce off the couch ready for the 100m, others take a few days to bounce back. Err on the side of caution and give yourself a few days to recover, it would be a shame to ruin all that good training.


Q. How often should I have Sports Massage?
a. If time and budget were not an issue, everyday. But the reality is they are. So if you are on a budget and treating yourself to a massage, then (as a sports person) I would suggest having the treat prior to your event so you are ready to compete, you can hit the couch after the event to recover. If you like regular massage, then keep your goals in mind, if you are unsure, read the answer above, if that doesn't help we can always tap into our experience as therapists and extreme sports nuts to offer some advice.


Q. I don't play sports - can I still have a Sports Massage?
a. Overuse injuries can occur in everyday life and are generally brought on by the things we do repetitively everyday. If you come to see us, we are going to remind you to change these and will give you simple solutions to help with this. If you don't make the change, we can't make you better. It's a simple as that.


Q. What happens during a treatment?
a. A brief history is taken prior to the massage including your sports goals or event deadlines. We may do some standing tests and no doubt will review your posture (this we do with your clothes on). The majority of our treatment is hands-on work, however we want to fix you, so may glean as much information from you so we can work out what's going on.


Q. What should I wear?
a. We use towels during the treatment and would require that you keep your underwear on, however if you feel more comfortable, you can bring a pair of shorts. Stretchy underwear is best, especially if we are treating legs.


Q. Should sports massage hurt?
a. Yes and no. If you are crawling off the couch trying to get out from under the therapists elbows, then NO it should not feel like that. When too much pressure is applied and causes undue pain, your natural response is to tense up, this means the therapist is now treating your voluntary muscle tension and not the problem area. Exit stage left and find someone who will care for your muscles as much as you do. So when should it hurt? Pain is a personal emotion, everyone tolerates pain differently, a therapist should be sensitive to this and regulate their techniques to get the tissue to respond to the treatment. In some instances to get that tissue to respond it may be a little sensitive but it should not be unbearable. However never feel wrong to shout if you are struggling to unclench your teeth - you know your pain tolerance better than we do.


Q. Where are you based?
a. Please review our location.


Q. Is there a governing body?
a. The Institute of Sports and Remedial Massage (ISRM) acts as a main governing body, in order that you may find a qualified, approved sports massage practitioner. The ISRM maintains the standards for sports massage practitioners and sports massage training organisations and has provided regulation and a National Register for sports massage practitioners.