This time last year I made a resolution to build a successful sports therapy service for a broad range of clients, amateur athletes, professional athletes, athletes with disabilities as well as non athletes suffering with everyday aches and pains.
The DW Sports Therapy treatment room was finished and ready to go in January so we invited our existing clients for complimentary treatments. News spread fast and by the end the month we had lots of new regular clients. In February we contacted dozens of race directors to offer our services at their marathons and triathlons. We got very few replies but we are eternally grateful to Hermes Running, TL Sports Events and the North Downs Run for entrusting us with the Sports Therapy at all of their endurance events. Before long we had 10 marathons and triathlons booked in for the Summer. In March I signed up for further professional development, studying Kinesiology and Kinesiology taping. Throughout the Summer we were busy with events. The demand for post race massage was much higher than originally anticipated so we began bringing a team of therapists to events. Thank you Ricky Marino, Scott Wilson and Yolanda Speare for your support. It’s been great working with all of you. In addition to the treatment room and events we decided to offer mobile services for local clients and teams. My good friend Robin at Sinwai Muay Thai boxing club invited me to treat his fighters on a regular basis and soon after that I was invited to treat weightlifters at Europa. It is here I treated GB weightlifter Emily Godley as well as other Commonwealth weightlifters. Emily was kind enough to write a review which now takes pride of place on my website homepage. Since then we have continued to treat a wide range of clients; professional athletes, amateur athletes, elderly people, young people, clients who have injured themselves doing everyday chores, new mothers who have strained muscles whilst lifting and nursing their babies and many more. As we look ahead to 2018 I know there is still a long way to go and a great deal more I wish to achieve. There are already some exciting opportunities in the pipeline and I look forward to seeing what the new year brings. Thank you to everyone who has supported the growth of DW Sports Therapy in 2017. Wishing you all a happy and prosperous New Year!
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We love providing sports therapy at large race events. It's a great opportunity to meet and treat lots of new clients and there is nothing quite like the buzz of race day. The North Downs Run is particularly special for us. Not only is it an iconic trail race with outstanding reviews from runners across Europe, it is also our local event. It's organised by Istead and Ifield Harriers and they do a remarkable job. Their army of dedicated volunteers made this a flawless event. Pre-race massageWe set up two hours before the start of the race to provide pre race massages and taping for the competitors. A pre-race massage prepares the body for the race ahead and prevents injury. It is best practised just before the event (24 hours - 30 minutes). It is performed at a fast, brisk pace - though not too deep - to get the muscles ready. It will increase circulation, flexibility and mental clarity to improve performance. Our first clients were two experienced runners from Blackheath Harriers, both of whom had run this race many times before and keep coming back for more. We were then visited by a North Downs Run first timer who requested pre-race massage on his plantar fascia, achilles and calf muscles. They all came to us again after the race and shared their inspiring race stories with us. Post-race massagePost-race massage is a great way to soothe fatigued and tired muscles and prevent DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness). The pace of this massage is slow, rhythmical and gentle and it usually lasts for about 15-20 minutes. It is proven to increase the rate of recovery, enabling the athlete to return to training sooner. There is a high demand for post-massage at large endurance races so we invited Riccardo Marino from "The Ultimate Sports Therapist" in Kingston to support us. We have worked with Riccardo before at the Hermes Running Bewl Water Marathon. Not only is he a fantastic therapist, he is an experienced ultra runner and Ironman so he understands running related niggles and injuries. We will be working together again at the Hermes Running North Downs Way Half and Full Marathon in Reigate, Surrey on 9th July. This event is organised by Hermes Running who host well-managed trail races in Kent and Surrey. The courses are always scenic and the medals are fantastic! This event is highly recommend and there are still some places available. We would like to thank North Downs Run 30k race director, Daryl Lucas for booking us for this event and for asking us to return in 2018. We are looking forward to it already. Thank you also to Istead and Ifield Harriers and all the volunteers, you put on a fantastic event. All of our clients praised the seamless organisation. Finally well done to all the competitors and thank you to everyone who booked a massage with us. If you could spare a few minutes to leave review on our Facebook page we would be very grateful. You can also follow us on twitter and Instagram
DW Sports Therapy have a clinic and treatment room in Istead Rise, Gravesend, Kent. We provide sports injury assessment and rehabilitation programmes including deep tissue sports massage, kinesiology taping, sports taping/strapping, corrective exercises, ultrasound and accupunture. If you would like to book a consultation and treatment visit www.dwsportstherapy.com This event had it all, fantastic athletes, beautiful location, exceptional organisation by TL Sports Events and glorious weather. There were even additional events for children and free beers for the men at the finish line to celebrate Father's Day. We arrived at 7am to set up our event gazebo, allowing enough time to take it the stunning scenery before the triathlon began. Shortly after the race began we were approached by two clients. Both had planned to compete on the day but injuries had sadly forced them to withdraw. As always we were happy to help them speed up their recovery by performing deep tissue massage to the injured muscles, breaking down adhesions and scar tissue whilst also increasing blood flow and promoting correct healing. After the race we were visited by some of the finishers in need of well-deserved post race massages. Post-race massages are very different to the deep tissue massages we performed on the injured non-competitors who visited us earlier. Post-race massage is a great way to soothe and ease fatigued and tired tissues and prevent DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness). The pace of this massage is slow, rhythmical and gentle. It is proven to increase the rate of recovery, enabling the athlete to return to training sooner. We were very grateful to the organisers who put us in a fantastic location close to the finish line. Here we were able to see the impressive transitions, the finish and we had front row seats for the presentations. Check out our event video below. Congratulations to all the finishers. You did immensely well is such warm conditions. The top three finishers were as follows: Men 1st: Simon Gresham 2nd: Richard Perry (Tri Tempo) 3rd: Keiron Green Women: 1st: Olivia Webb 2nd: Fleur Peoples 3rd: Sarah Bailey A huge thank you to TL Sports Events for inviting us to this event. We look forward to working with you again at the Bewl Water Triathlon on 6th August and the Sussex Triathlon Festival on 24th September.
This week has been the busiest and most exciting week yet for DW Sports Therapy. Our evening clinic sessions in the DW Sports Therapy room in Istead Rise, Gravesend were fully booked. The clients who visited had a variety of injuries and niggles. Some were seeking relief from aches and pains caused by heavy lifting at work. Others had more complex sports injuries that have been preventing them from achieving their sporting goals and have committed to long term treatment. The most rewarding part of sports therapy is helping someone overcome barriers to achieve their goals. On Wednesday I was invited to the incredible VO2 Maximum Triathlon Coaching facility in Hildenborough by owner, Jimmy George, to discuss doing some regular sports massage in one of their state of the art treatment rooms. This is a fantastic opportunity to work with some of the top athletes they train including 3 world champions, 7 national champions, 30 Ironman finishers and over 100 first time triathletes. To finish a fantastic week we provided sports therapy treatments at the Bewl Water Half, Full and Ultra Marathon. It was an incredible event organised by Hermes Running. We arrived at 6.45am to set up our gazebo and at 7am we had our first client who requested kinesiology taping on his Achilles' tendon to help him through his first ultra marathon (37.5miles). After that some athletes came to us for pre-race massage to prepare their muscles and tendons for the challenge ahead. When the races began at 8.30 we expected it to be quiet until the finishers came in. Little did we know there were some spectators planning to make the most of our massage services whilst waiting for their friends and family to finish. Of course we were only too happy to oblige. At 11am we were supported by Riccardo Marino, a sports therapist and Ironman based in Kingston, London. From 11.30 to 3.30 we performed back to back post race massages. In total we treated over 50 clients. They all had different stories to tell about the race and it was a pleasure to work with them. Some wanted a massage to quicken their recovery and enable to get back to training quicker. Others needed support with injuries they had picked up on the course. Finally, this week we were confirmed as sports therapists for 5 more exciting sports events coming up this Summer.
18th June - Ashburnham Family Triathlon Festival 25th June - North Downs Run 30k, Gravesham 9th July - North Downs Way, Reigate 6th August - Bewl Water Open Triathlon 24th September - Sussex Triathlon Festival If you are competing in any of these events we wish you the very best of luck and hope to see you on the day. Thank you to everyone who has supported DW Sports Therapy. A lot of work has gone into developing this business and we are expanding quicker than we imagined we would at this stage. It's been a busy week to say the least, but if you love what you do it isn't really work is it? Spring has well and truly sprung so it's time for DW Sports Therapy to prepare for the marathon and triathlon event season. Sports therapy stations are now a regular feature at top endurance race events, providing a wide range of services and treatments to boost performance and aid recovery. The demand for pre and post-event sports massage is particularly high at endurance race events and has been proven to benefit athletes at all levels. Pre-event massage The aim of a pre-event massage is to prepare the body for the race ahead and prevent injury. It is best practised just before the event (24 hours - 30 minutes). The massage is performed at a fast, brisk pace - though not too deep - to get your muscles ready. It will increase your circulation, flexibility and mental clarity to improve your performance. Post-event massage A sports massage after a race is a great way to soothe and ease fatigued and tired tissues and prevent DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness). The pace of this massage is slow, rhythmical and gentle and it usually lasts for about 15-20 minutes. It is proven to increase the rate of recovery, enabling the athlete to return to training sooner. At DW Sports Therapy events we provide pre and post-race massages, charging £10 for 15 minutes. You can bring cash on the day or if you would like to prebook a massage slot at one of our upcoming events you can contact us via our website here. Our first event of the season is the Hermes Running Bewl Water Half, Full and Ultra Marathon on 13th May. Bewl Water is a stunning location in Kent and competitors are sure to enjoy spectacular views around the course. There are approximately 500 runners taking part across the 3 distances. It's sure to be a fantastic event. You can enter online here or you can enter on the day. If the stunning views aren't enough to tempt you then just take a look at the very unique finishers medal. The perfect addition to any medal collection and it even has a bottle opener to crack open those victory beers with. We are excited to announce that DW Sports Therapy will also be providing the sports therapy services at Ashburnham Triathlon on 18th June, North Downs Run 30k on 25th June, Bewl Water Open Triathlon on 6th August and Sussex Triathlon on 24th September
If you require our sports therapy services at an upcoming sports event please do not hesitate to contact us. All details of our clinic, mobile and event services can be found here. |
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