Anyone who has trained at the gym knows how tight muscles can become with regular exercise. Sports massage relaxes tense muscles, reduces muscular regidity, and increases flexibility. All this helps to increase your range of motion, which is good news for sports enthusiasts.

When you're training, you want to be at peak performance at all times. Sports massages help you stay at your best by increasing blood flow to damaged and overworked tissues and muscles. This increases your recovery times and allows you to train more effectively.

Intense exercise can lead to unwanted injuries. A speedy treatment can reverse the problem before it becomes acute. Some immediately treatable injuries include:

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• some knee injuries including patella tendinopathy (jumpers knee)

• calf strain (after 5 days)

• shin splints (after 3 days)

• hamstring strain (softly at first, then increasing pressure as treatment progresses)

• groin strain (after the acute phase has passed)

• ankle sprain or strain (after the acute phase has passed, but massage in the areas around the injury to minimise pain is possible from the outset)

• achillies heel pain (achilles tendonitis)

• thigh strain (after the acute phase has passed)

All massages improve your body's circulation, which is good news for athletes. Exercise requires more oxygen and nutrients, and your increased blood flow enables a better delivery of both to your muscles, body and brain.

The increased blood flow from massage also helps to reduce the inflammation that causes pain. It lifts chronic tension that builds up in your muscles from regular exercise, reduces fatigue and minimises swelling. All this results in better long term performance.

Spasms in your muscles and excitable nerves are exhausing and can be a cause of constant, low lying pain. Massage will reduce the issues by helping to reduce cortisol levels whilst increasing your supply of seratonin and dopamine. Get ready to feel wonderfully relaxed and care free!

We all need a good night's sleep, especially if you are preparing for competitions.

If you have injured yourself, consider a remedial massage after 72 hours of injury. Before this, use the RICE technique: Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation.