at most bigger events there is a post race sports massage , usually £ 10 or so a time . dont bother , a doctor in the times supplement says they are no more beneficial than doing nothing , i tend to agree , couple of pints with friends is so much more relaxing .

Not many on here would disagree with that...............

Wow, i'm suprised to read that... I've never actually had a sports massage (though eager to try one), but i'm sure they must be beneficial?! Why would so many people bother if they were a waste of time?

I'd agree with your pints with friends being more relaxing comment, better for recovery though.... hmmmmm

Cider and a good curry always seem to bring me 'old joints round again after a race

Well I agree about the pints but not about the massage. I swear blind that one of the best things I ever did was have a sports massage ( and it was free) after a 1/2m that I did about 3 weeks before FLM a few years back.

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One small step for man.....

I am a sports therapist, and there are many benefits to sports massage.
Firstly though, it's not meant to be a relaxing treatment, but more of a remedial massage to stressed muscles. I agree, a gentle massage after a race is not really any more beneficial after taking part in sport than at any other time.

Personally, I would wait a day or even two before having a proper sports massage because if it's done correctly it is quite a deep massage, and during a long race tiny tears occur in muscle fibres, which the body will repair fairly quickly. Having a sports massage too soon after a race could hamper the repair process.

So post race masseurs, if they know what they are doing, are generally gentler on the muscles than they would be during a sports massage treatment.

I agree with Trinity, the one time I had a hard massage after a race, really didn't help, it just hurt my aching muscles. But at other times they really do, because they relax muscles you never even knew were tense (or never even knew existed in my case )

Wasn't there an article in Runners World a while ago saying that after a really long run it's best to not even do stretches, just crash out and slurp water / protein drink / beer?

if you had problems with aching muscles and went to your doctor , would he send you for a sports massage , or to see a qualified nhs physio ? ( and for free ) me thinks sports massage is placebo effect , emporers new clothes .

Oh yee of little faith lilactime... lol I don't know where I'm going with this, I just had an urge to say "Oh yee of little faith" lol.

I understand your point, the doctor probably wouldn't send you to a physio or for a sports massage, but I'm relatively confident that's because muscles will heal themselves and it'd require more paperwork on their part, also i'm sure the physio's time could be better spent. I think this is far removed from the fact that sports massages will speed up recovery though.

Essential? Not at all... Beneficial? I'd say so

Firstly, I didn't say anything about aching muscles. Sports massage is not simply to make aching muscles feel better, it's so much more than that. You obviously do not understand much about anatomy and physiology of running and injury prevention.

Secondly, if you want to waste your doctors time asking for a referral when an appointment with a qualified sports therapist would solve the problem, that's up to you, but by the time you actually got the 'free' appointment it would be too late anyway.

i do have little faith . my girlfriend has just visited a sports masseure with a shoulder problem . she has been told she needs eight sessions at £ 25 a pop . i would make do with a £1 packet of nurofen . shes still going by the way .

To me it's all swings and roundabouts anyway... In terms of comparing a massage to alternative treatments (e.g. nurofen), if you went to say Posh 'n' Becks' interior designer and asked for a bathroom, they'd probably tell you that you needed "this, this and this" all imported from wherever and being the most exquisite stuff you've seen, and it'll cost x thousands/bazillions... goto B&Q and they'll probably recommend a toilet, sink, shower/bath, tiles & paint... and it'll cost you a fraction of the amount. You just need to decide where you stand on what I shall technically call 'the ladder of stuff'.

Maybe your missus could try getting a cheaper quote or second opinion somewhere else? (I've know idea what the going rate is!)

£25 is good for a sports massage, any less and you're likely to get an inexperienced masseur

I wouldn't call neurofen an alternative treatment though. Neurofen will just mask the real problem for a while

If I take a paracetamol before I run...to mask pain as you say Trin...am I taking a performance enhancing drug??

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One small step for man.....

no, not performance enhancing as such. But your body sends pain signals for a reason, something is breaking down and needs fixing/rest. If you're taking something to mask those pain signals while you run you will most likely be causing more damage without realising it.