I’m Mark, owner of Musculus Sports Massage in Ilkeston.
My approach is simple: UNDERSTAND FIRST. TREAT SECOND.
I do not believe everybody needs the same massage, and I do not believe harder automatically means better. Where appropriate, assessment and testing help guide what treatment should follow.
Training has been a major part of my life for more than 20 years. My background includes strength training, bodybuilding, fitness and personal training, giving me first-hand experience of progressive training, physical performance and recovery.
Today I work with athletes, runners, bodybuilders, gym users, manual workers, desk-based clients and people who simply want to move and feel better. You do not have to be an athlete to benefit from an assessment-led sports massage approach.
Depending on the presentation, assessment may consider symptoms and relevant history, training and work demands, movement you perform yourself, movement guided by the therapist, range of motion, resisted muscle testing, functional movement and selected musculoskeletal tests.
Not everybody needs every test. Assessment should answer a question, not become a checklist.
Not every symptom that feels muscular begins and ends in muscle. Depending on the presentation, neurological assessment may consider dermatomes, myotomes, reflexes, peripheral nerve pathways and neurodynamic findings.
These are different ways of looking at sensation, muscle function and how the nervous system responds to movement. The relevant terms can be made clickable so clients can open the plain-English definitions provided in the pop-up section of this document.
The purpose is not to diagnose neurological disease. It is to recognise when symptoms may involve more than muscle, adapt the approach appropriately and identify when further assessment or referral may be needed.
I trained to Level 5 in Sports Massage Therapy with the Sports Massage Academy. The qualification goes considerably beyond hands-on massage and develops a deeper understanding of advanced anatomy and the nervous system, musculoskeletal assessment, neurological assessment, neurodynamic testing, pain science and the biopsychosocial model, alongside advanced treatment techniques, rehabilitation, exercise instruction and progression, reassessment and referral.
In practice, this means looking beyond the area that simply feels tight or painful. Depending on the symptoms, assessment may consider how someone moves, muscle function and strength, sensation, neurological findings and whether the nervous system could be contributing to the presentation.
The purpose is not to diagnose medical or neurological conditions. It is to gather more useful information, decide whether treatment is appropriate, choose a sensible treatment or rehabilitation approach and recognise when referral to another healthcare professional may be the better option.
Level 5 sits at the same UK qualification level as qualifications such as an HND, Foundation Degree and Diploma of Higher Education. That describes the level of study; it does not mean a Level 5 Sports Massage qualification is itself a university degree.
Together with more than two decades of training experience, these qualifications give me a broad understanding of treatment, movement, exercise and rehabilitation.
Pain is real, but it is not always a direct measure of tissue damage. My Level 5 training includes modern pain science and the biopsychosocial model, which recognise that symptoms can be influenced by interacting biological, psychological and social factors.
That does not mean pain is imagined or ‘all in the head’. It means the person matters as much as the painful body part, and that treatment decisions should consider more than one isolated tissue.
Clinical reasoning means combining what you tell me with what is found during relevant assessment to decide what happens next.
That may mean sports massage, another treatment technique, movement or exercise, further assessment, a change to the plan, or referral if something appears outside my professional scope.
Level 5 gives me a broader assessment and treatment toolbox, but advanced practice is not about using more techniques. It is about selecting the most appropriate approach for the person in front of me.
Sports massage remains the core treatment, supported by other techniques where they are appropriate and likely to add something useful.
My Level 5 training and Advanced Personal Trainer background allow exercise and rehabilitation principles to be incorporated where useful.
This may include mobility, strengthening, exercise instruction, technique correction, exercise adaptation, progression and support when returning to work, training, running, bodybuilding, sport or everyday activity.
The aim is not to hand everyone an unnecessarily complicated programme. A small number of useful exercises, performed well and progressed sensibly, is often more valuable.
Where something useful has been established before treatment – such as a movement, range of motion, symptom response or functional finding – it can sometimes be checked again afterwards.
The question is simple: did what we just did make a useful difference? Reassessment helps guide what happens next.
Advanced practice also means recognising professional limits. If consultation or assessment suggests sports massage is not appropriate, treatment may be modified, delayed or avoided.
Where necessary, referral to a GP, physiotherapist or another appropriate healthcare professional will be recommended.
Whether you’re dealing with pain, getting back into training, or just looking to feel better in your body – we’re here to help. Reach out with any questions, book your first session, or tell us what you need. We offer flexible options at the gym or in your own home, with expert support every step of the way.
