I do not stretch as much as I should and after sitting at a desk for more hours than I should recently feel like I need a good rub and stretch of my back and legs – then I can get stretching.

So, do folks on here find a massage – Swedish or deep tissue beneficial?

Nothing involving ‘happy endings’ please…

Thanks.

I think I’d always want a happy ending…

I had a Swedish massage once. The massuese was a very petite lady and as such I told her to go “full strength”. Mistake. It was like being manhandled by one of those production line robots. Agony. Being a fool I was too proud to ask her to go easy.

Thought this was a Kevin Spacey thread

Massage?

Yes please… just quads, maybe a back rub…

I like a good Thai massage. The stronger the better. Will be a bit sore the next day but feels like it’s doing good releasing the tension build up from manual labour job.

I ve just been, physio does back, neck and shoulders. If u r desk bound watch your posture as i got pain between shoulders. Physio started lightly a few years ago, now up to max strength. Try a few physios you will find one you like, some are good some are not so.

Foam rolling does a very similar job physically to help all leg muscles. Plenty of YouT vids showing how for cyclists. Much cheaper than a massage habit and very helpful – If I’m super tired / lazy I’ll still take the sports massage though 🙂 They were handing them out in Les Gets after ppds this yr for tired riders!

Have you got a local college? One near to me does cheap sessions for the sports therapists to practice. It’s about a third of the price so if you’re unsure about the benefits it might be a good intro.

It is something I would do frequently, if I won the lottery.
I do have either a 30 min or hour every few months of if i have a twinge.

I have had deep tissue massage a few times – very good indeed if somewhat painful especially when they go for one of the heads of your back muscles thru your armpit.

Ayurvedic FTW. At the Scarlet is nice, if you can’t make it to Sri Lanka every week.

The last time I had a deep tissue massage at a physios it felt like he was on a mission to extract bone marrow

I used to have regular sports massage when I was racing regularly and it was always excellent.
Had a few recently, more physio based as I’ve got ongoing back issues which was exacerbated by training for and then racing the Three Peaks CX. You get very unbalanced walking up hills with a bike on your right shoulder!

Cna be agony at the time but it always works wonders in sorting me out and I find I sleep much better afterwards as well.

The above problems would most likely be taken care of by moving every 30 mins- nothing excessive, just remembering to do shoulder rolls or standing up to take a phone call. However that is not as much fun as a massage, so crack on! 🙂

The osteopath I go to, Xerxes at cityclinic.co.uk, does a really good deep massage first before any manipulation required – it’s almost like the manipulation is an afterthought but it is much more effective after you’ve been relaxed by a good ‘beating’.

Occasionally he resorts to using his elbow for bits that need heavy hammering. Or even deep needle acupuncture.

My (ex) wife was getting almost migraine like headaches and he located a deep muscle in her neck that was causing it – hammered the hell out of it and fixed it.

My boss is having issues running and has seen several people, but Xerxes found that it was a muscle behind the piriformis, which has needed needling to get at. Two sessions and instruction on which stretches to do and he’s fixed as well.

Muscles!

feel like I need a good rub and stretch of my back and legs – then I can get stretching.

Just get stretching.

Just get stretching.

Sometimes things need fixed by massage before stretching will do any good at all. Certainly when my back goes, I physically can’t stretch it, it’s too painful and goes into spasm.

I’ve got a pretty gammy leg so I get my ITB worked over every couple of months and any time they’ve got left I just say have at it, find a sore bit and brutalise it. My guy Shaun gives the least relaxing massage in christendom but the next day it feels great.

(the first time I got it done, I couldn’t function for days- I was so used to having… not pain, but general discomfort and overtightness in that leg that having it feel normal was just too weird- couldn’t sleep… What a difference)

Regularly get a sports massage on my back – on-going issues from a bad spinal fracture 2 years ago. I tend to go when things start getting bad again. Luckily we have Physio student’s here and it only costs £25 for 45 minutes.

I try and have a sports massage every 2 months or so (mixture of running and biking)

I don’t see a performance benefit, but it does keep on top of any potential injuries.

Recently I have had an inkle injury, its taken a few sessions to get the ankle supple and mobile again.

Chicken and egg re stretching/massage. Do both.

I used to go every month when I was playing contact sports. Really helped to get things moving again / sort out any issues.

It’s a bit expensive to be going every month now, but I’ll go if I have an issue stretching isn’t resolving.

Sometimes things need fixed by massage before stretching will do any good at all. Certainly when my back goes, I physically can’t stretch it, it’s too painful and goes into spasm.

Of course, for certain, often acute, injuries/conditions then specific treatment is needed.

For alleviation of general symptoms caused by excessive desk-jockeying, just get stretching.