Handled With Care Therapies

19/01/2026

Runners: Why Pilates & Sports Massage Should Be Part of Your Training Plan 🏃‍♀️

If you run regularly — whether it’s 5Ks, marathons, trail, or track — your body takes repetitive load with every stride. Research shows that combining Pilates and sports massage can support performance, injury prevention, recovery, and mental well-being.

🦵 Pilates for Runners — More Than “Core Work”
Studies published in journals such as The Journal of Sports Science & Medicine and Clinical Biomechanics show that Pilates improves core strength, pelvic stability, balance, and flexibility— all critical for efficient running mechanics.

Strong trunk and hip stability help reduce excessive movement at the knees and ankles, which has been linked to common running injuries like IT band syndrome, runner’s knee, and Achilles tendinopathy Research also shows Pilates can improve running economy by enhancing postural control and neuromuscular coordination.

🧠 Mental Benefits for Training & Racing
A meta-analysis in Complementary Therapies in Medicine found Pilates significantly reduces anxiety, fatigue, and depressive symptoms. For runners, this can translate into better focus, improved breath control, and greater resilience during long or hard sessions — especially during race prep.

💆 Sports Massage — Recovery That Supports Consistency
Evidence from The International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy and BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine suggests sports massage can:

✔️ Reduce perceived muscle soreness (DOMS) after runs
✔️ Improve relaxation and reduce stress hormones
✔️ Support circulation and tissue recovery
✔️ Help runners feel “fresher” between sessions

While massage may not instantly boost race-day speed, studies show it plays an important role in recovery quality and mental readiness which supports consistent training — a key factor in long-term performance gains.

🔁 Why Runners Benefit Most from the Combination
🏃 Pilates improves how you run
💆 Sports massage supports how you recover
🧠 Both help manage stress, fatigue, and training load

Together, they help runners train smarter, reduce injury risk, and stay mentally strong through high-mileage weeks.

📍Whether you’re chasing a PB or just want to keep running pain-free, your body and mind deserve support beyond the miles.

13/01/2026

✨ Now Offering 1:1 Pilates at Our Luton Clinic ✨
📍 17 Lyneham Road, Luton, LU2 9JS

Struggling with back pain, stiffness, or poor posture?

Our new 1:1 Pilates sessions are designed to help you move better, feel stronger, and reduce pain — with expert guidance tailored just for you.

Why Pilates for back pain?
✔ Strengthens deep core muscles that support the spine
✔ Improves posture and spinal alignment
✔ Increases flexibility and mobility
✔ Reduces tension and muscular imbalances
✔ Low-impact and suitable for rehabilitation and injury prevention

With one-to-one sessions, every exercise is adapted to your body, goals, and any existing pain or injuries — making it a safe and effective option for long-term back health.

📅 Sessions now available
📞 Contact us to book or learn more
💙 Invest in your movement. Support your spine. Feel the difference.

08/01/2026

Marathon Training + Sports Massage: A Winning Recovery Combo 💪

Training for a marathon is as much about smart recovery as it is about putting in the miles.

Structured training improves endurance, neuromuscular coordination and mental preparedness — but all that workload also stresses muscles, joints and connective tissue.

Effective recovery strategies help you adapt, reduce injury risk and stay consistent through peak weeks.

Here’s how sports massage fits into the science of marathon training:

✨ What research actually shows…

🔹 Reduces delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS)— A large systematic review found that sports massage doesn’t directly boost performance like speed or strength, but it does demonstrate small, statistically significant reductions in DOMS and improvements in flexibility compared with no intervention, which can help you feel fresher between key runs. ([PMC][1])

🔹 Improves flexibility & muscle compliance— Some studies indicate massage may increase muscle-tendon compliance and recovery of running economy (the efficiency of how your body uses oxygen when you run), which could translate into better training quality over time. ([Lippincott Journals][2])

🔹 Eases post-run soreness and perception of recovery— While research results vary, many runners report that massage can feel like it speeds up recovery — especially in terms of soreness and readiness for the next session — even when objective strength measures aren’t changed. ([PubMed][3])

📅 How to use massage in your training plan

✔ During base & build phases: Regular sessions (e.g., every 2–4 weeks) can keep tightness down and help manage stiffness from long runs.
✔ Peak mileage block: More frequent maintenance massage may help you recover between hard or long workouts.
✔ Taper & race week: Keep it light and familiar — avoid trying deep or aggressive techniques you haven’t tested before race day.
✔ Post-marathon: A gentle recovery massage 2–3 days after the race can help with comfort and circulation. (As always, communicate pressure and goals with your therapist.)

📌 Remember: Massage on its own won’t train you — but used alongside a progressive training plan, good sleep, hydration and strength work, it’s a valuable recovery tool that helps you stay consistent and injury-resilient.

🔗 Evidence to explore
• Systematic review on sports massage and recovery
PubMed: *Effect of sports massage on performance and recovery* ([PMC][1])
• Research on massage’s influence on running biomechanics and recovery
*The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research* ([Lippincott Journals][2])
• Analysis of massage therapy effectiveness post-exercise PubMed review ([PubMed][3])

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7228568/?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Effect of sports massage on performance and recovery: a systematic review and meta-analysis - PMC"
[2]: https://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/fulltext/2022/01000/effects_of_massage_and_cold_water_immersion_after.21.aspx?utm_source=chatgpt.com "The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research"
[3]: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18806553/?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Effectiveness of sports massage for recovery of skeletal muscle from strenuous exercise - PubMed”

Massage is ubiquitous in elite sport and increasingly common at amateur level but the evidence base for this intervention has not been reviewed systematically. We therefore performed a systematic review and meta-analysis examining the effect of ...

05/01/2026

We apologise, our phone lines are down, we have had a power cut but uk power network reassure us we will be back up and running by morning. We are sorry to those who have had appointments cancelled this evening

31/12/2025

As we welcome the New Year, we would like to take a moment to thank you all for trusting us with your care.
It has been our privilege to support your health and well-being, and we truly appreciate every one of you.
We wish you and your loved ones a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year. We look forward to continuing to care for you in the year ahead.

Jo, Kelly and Sahirah

24/12/2025

That’s us closed for the holidays now, we reopen on the 29th at 9am.
We wish you all the most magical Christmas with your loved ones.
Jo, Kelly and Sahirah 🥂

22/12/2025

Treat yourself today, Sahirah has spaces from 2pm, all appointments remaining half price until 7pm, call us to book

15/12/2025

Just a friendly reminder that we’ll be closed next week from Thursday the 25th to Sunday the 29th 😊
Please be sure to give us a call before we close to book your appointment for the week starting the 30th, as spots are filling up quickly!

08/12/2025

Just a quick reminder: our Black Friday package is available until December 31st. If you’ve been thinking about grabbing it, now’s the time. ❤️✨

Please note: we’ll be closed from December 25th–29th and also closed on New Year’s Day, so be sure to reach out before or after those dates if you need anything.

27/11/2025

Price Update Effective January 1st

We would like to inform our valued clients that a price increase will take effect on January 1st. Please see our notice board in clinic, check our website for details, reference below or feel free to give us a call.
This adjustment ensures that we can continue delivering the high standard of care, service, and expertise you expect from us.
In appreciation of your continued loyalty, we are pleased to offer an exclusive
Black Friday opportunity:�A block of 6 treatments at the current price, available for purchase now until the end of December and redeemable at any time throughout 2026.
You are welcome to secure this offer by visiting the clinic or contacting us by phone.�Thank you for your trust and continued support — it truly means the world to us.

New prices from Jan 1st 2026:
30 mins £45
45 mins £57
60 mins £72.50
Please note these are inclusive of VAT

Black Friday offer for purchase before December 31st:
Blocks of 6 x 30 £225
Blocks of 6 x 45 £285
Blocks of 6 x 60 £390

17/11/2025

Gift vouchers available for purchase this year, pop into the clinic to order and collect

16/11/2025

👉Massage is back in the headlines with The Guardian asking how healthy massage really is and spotlighting its role in supporting people living with pain, cancer, long term conditions, anxiety and sleep problems. It is a rare piece of mainstream coverage that actually acknowledges touch as part of healthcare, not just a spa extra. 

For GCMT council members who support you, the therapist, this is a reminder that what you do is skilled work. A well trained, thoughtful, evidence informed therapist can offer so much more than ‘just a massage’, helping clients feel safer in their bodies, less overwhelmed and better supported alongside wider medical care. Let us keep showing the public what safe, compassionate, professional touch really looks like.

👀Read The Guardian article here - https://www.theguardian.com/wellness/2025/nov/13/massage-health-benefits

Scottish Manual Therapists Organisation The Sports Massage Association Massage Training Institute - MTI LCSP Register of Remedial Masseurs & Manipulative Therapists Complementary Health Professionals