muscular injury which prevents you training at your full speed. Sports massage is especially appropriate in the last few weeks before a major race for increased vitality and overall relaxation. What to expect Just like any examining physician, a massage

of motion, strength and flexibility. The therapist will also review your training programme to determine how the injury occurred – and how to prevent it recurring. Once the cause is diagnosed, the therapist can design a specific rehabilitation programme

and perhaps a dose of cross-training. But some injuries prove stubborn. They don’t clear up; or if they do, they swiftly recur. If this happens you may start to think about seeing a medical specialist. But which one? There’s an array of specialists around