"Perfect. Will be back for more!"
Anna S.
Sports Massage in Holborn, Central London
Targeted massage for training, recovery and injury prevention, from qualified sports massage therapists in Holborn.
Sports massage looks at muscle and soft tissue through the lens of movement and activity, whether that is training for an event, recovering from a hard session, or managing a muscular problem that keeps recurring with a particular sport. You do not need to be a competitive athlete to benefit, and our Holborn therapists see a wide range of people with active jobs and lifestyles.
What is sports massage?
Sports massage is a form of massage therapy focused on muscles and soft tissue affected by physical activity, used to help with training, recovery and injury prevention. It combines techniques such as deep tissue work, stretching and trigger point pressure, and a session usually starts with questions about your training or activity so the work can be aimed at the areas that matter for what you are doing. It is used both by athletes and by anyone with an active job or lifestyle, not only competitive sportspeople.
What Sports Massage Helps With
Training support
Regular sessions alongside training are used to keep muscles that are working hard from becoming persistently tight.
Recovery
Massage after a hard training block or event is often used to help muscles feel less tight and sore in the days that follow.
Injury prevention
Picking up tightness or imbalance before it becomes a problem is one of the main reasons regular clients keep booking.
Flexibility
Combined stretching and massage techniques can temporarily improve range of movement, which is useful before a specific event.
Circulation
Massage strokes are thought to support local blood flow through worked muscle, part of why the area often feels warmer afterwards.
Not just for athletes
Physical jobs, regular gym sessions or an active hobby all put load through muscles in a similar way, and sports massage suits that too.
How a Session Works
1
Consultation10 min
Discussion of your training schedule, injury history and what you want from the session, whether that is preparation, recovery or general maintenance.
2
Assessment10 min
Your therapist checks for tight muscles, trigger points and any restriction in movement relevant to your sport or activity.
3
Treatment35 min
A combination of deep tissue work, stretching and, where useful, techniques such as soft tissue release, tailored to the areas that need it.
4
Aftercare5 min
Stretches to do at home, any advice on modifying training in the short term, and a suggested schedule if you are booking regularly.
Who Provides It Here
Duncan McGechie
ISRM registered sport and remedial therapist and BAcC registered acupuncturist, in practice since 2003, who works with sportspeople, dancers and performers alongside his acupuncture and Chinese medicine work.
View full profileNikki Collis
Sports massage therapist and member of the Sports Massage Association, also trained in Anatomy Trains Structural Integration and ScarWork, working with athletes, teenagers and older people.
View full profileMichalis Wheeler
London School of Sports Massage graduate working as a massage therapist for more than 16 years, with a particular interest in running injuries from his own experience as a marathon runner.
View full profileEvan Karagiannis
Remedial soft tissue therapist since 2007 with a BTEC Level 5 Diploma in Soft Tissue Therapy and an SNT Level 5 Clinical Sport and Remedial Massage Diploma, with a longstanding interest in athletics.
View full profilePre-Event, Post-Event or Maintenance
The timing of a sports massage changes what your therapist will do. A session a few days before an event tends to be lighter, aimed at leaving muscles ready rather than sore, while very deep work is usually avoided the day before something important. A post-event session, typically 24 to 48 hours afterwards, is more about easing soreness and checking nothing has been aggravated.
Regular maintenance sessions, whether weekly, fortnightly or monthly depending on your training load, are used by many clients to keep on top of tightness rather than waiting for a problem to build up.
What the Evidence Says
Sports massage has reasonable evidence for short-term reduction in perceived muscle soreness and for a temporary increase in flexibility, both useful around training and events. Evidence that it meaningfully changes injury rates or long-term athletic performance is weaker, and results vary between studies and between individuals.
We treat it as a useful part of a training programme rather than something that replaces good training design, adequate rest or, where an injury has actually occurred, proper assessment and rehabilitation.
Safety and When to See Someone Else First
Sports massage therapy is not statutorily regulated in the UK, so look for training and membership of a body such as the Sports Massage Association or the CNHC, which our therapists hold. Tell your therapist about any recent injury, swelling, numbness or sharp pain, since a fresh injury may need assessment by a physiotherapist or doctor before massage is appropriate.
Mild soreness for a day or so after a firm session is normal. Anything that feels like it might be a tear, a stress fracture, or numbness and tingling that does not settle should be checked by a healthcare professional rather than treated with massage.
Techniques You Are Likely to Meet
Most sessions use several of these rather than one. Which ones, and in what order, depends on whether you are preparing for something, recovering from it, or working through a pattern of tightness that keeps returning.
- Effleurage and petrissage: broad warming strokes and kneading, used to prepare an area before anything firmer.
- Deep transverse work: slower pressure across the fibres of a tight band rather than along it.
- Trigger point work: sustained pressure on a tender point until the referral or ache eases.
- Soft tissue release: pressure held on a point while you move the joint, targeting a specific restriction.
- Muscle energy technique: gently pushing against resistance so the muscle lets go and lengthens.
- Assisted stretching: taking a joint through range with the therapist controlling the end point.
Sport by Sport, the Usual Suspects
Runners tend to arrive with calves, Achilles, hamstrings and the outside of the hip, particularly when mileage has jumped or a new pair of shoes has entered the picture. Cyclists bring hip flexors, quadriceps and a stiff upper back from time spent in position. Gym and strength training brings shoulders, upper back and the muscles around the hip, usually after a change in programme.
Racket sports and climbing load forearms, shoulders and the mid back, often on one side more than the other. Football and team sports bring hamstrings, groin and calves, with the added complication of matches landing on tired legs. Telling your therapist what you actually do in a normal training week, including the sessions you skip, changes the plan more than any single symptom does.
Sports Massage, Deep Tissue or Physiotherapy?
- Choose sports massage if your problem is tied to training or activity and there is no specific diagnosis to work from.
- Choose deep tissue massage for general chronic tightness that is not specifically related to sport.
- Choose physiotherapy if you have a suspected injury, a diagnosis, or need a structured rehabilitation plan.
- Choose soft tissue release alongside sports massage if a specific adhesion or restriction has been identified.
What People Come With
- Preparing for a race, match or event
- Recovery after a hard training block
- Recurring tightness in the same muscle group
- Muscle strains that have settled but left residual tightness
- Postural imbalance affecting performance
- General maintenance alongside regular training
- Active jobs involving heavy lifting or repetitive movement
- Restricted flexibility affecting a specific sport
Explore Related Therapies
Sports Massage FAQs
What Our Clients Say
"Great location in the heart of the city! I would say it's a quiet oasis in a very busy area, a place to relax after a hard day at work."
Robert D.
Book Sports Massage in Holborn
Sessions are held at 46 Theobalds Road, a few minutes from Holborn station. Get in touch to arrange a time.
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