22/08/2026
Some people picture whale music and a light touch. That’s not what I do.
Sports massage is clinical, targeted soft tissue work. It’s designed to do a specific job on specific structures - and it’s uncomfortable in places, because that’s how you know it’s working on something real.
Here’s what it’s actually useful for. When you train or compete regularly, muscles accumulate tension and fatigue that doesn’t fully clear between sessions. Recovery slows, movement quality drops, and areas that are chronically overloaded start to feel tight or sore. Sports massage works directly on that - reducing tension in overloaded tissue, improving how the muscle moves through its range, and helping the body recover faster between sessions. That could be between two football matches in a weekend, before a big race, or just after a heavy training block that’s left you feeling like you can barely move.
It also helps identify areas you didn’t even know were a problem. You’d be surprised how often I find significant restriction in a place the client hasn’t mentioned at all - usually because they’ve been compensating for it for so long it doesn’t register as pain anymore.
What it won’t do is fix a structural problem on its own. If there’s an underlying issue driving the tension - a movement fault, a load management problem, a nerve that needs addressing - massage treats the symptom but not the cause. That’s why when I think there’s more going on, I say so, and we bring in exercise rehab alongside the hands-on work.
If you’re training regularly and not getting regular soft tissue work, you’re leaving recovery on the table.
📍 Bannatyne’s Norwich📍 Sugg’s gym, Wymondham - link in bio to book