What happens in a leg and hamstring sports massage?
Does sports massage help leg pain and tension?
(Approx 1-2 minute read)
LEG MASSAGE
Whether you’re an athlete, a gym-goer, or someone who spends long hours standing or sitting, your legs and hamstrings endure a significant amount of daily stress. As some of the most active parts of the body, they support every step, jump, and movement.
Over time, daily activity, exercise, standing, or sitting can lead to muscular tension and fatigue. A leg and hamstring massage is designed to relieve tension, improve flexibility and circulation, support healthy muscle function, and help prevent injuries.
What’s Included in a Leg and Hamstring Sports/Deep Tissue Massage?
Sports massage is a deeper, more targeted style of massage that uses hands-on techniques to boost blood flow to the deeper layers of your leg muscles. This increased circulation helps muscles feel better, recover faster, and function more effectively. It's especially helpful for relieving general tension—whether it’s from overuse, like intense training, or underuse, such as sitting for long periods.
Key Muscle Groups Targeted:
Hamstrings: A group of three muscles at the back of the thigh — biceps femoris, semitendinosus, and semimembranosus.
Quadriceps: The large muscle group along the front of the thigh, responsible for knee extension.
Adductors: The muscles located along the inner thigh that stabilize and draw the legs toward the midline.
Calf muscles: The gastrocnemius and soleus at the back of the lower leg, important for ankle movement and propulsion.
Gluteal muscles: The gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and tensor fasciae latae connect to the hamstrings and play a vital role in hip stability and lower-body movement.
By targeting these muscle groups, a leg and hamstring massage assists in restoring optimal range of motion, reducing neuromuscular tension, and supporting recovery from overuse, tension from underuse, and acute soft-tissue strain.
Who will benefit:
Most people will benefit from deep tissue/sports massage
Athletes may find better recovery and more suppleness in the muscle.
Sedentary lifestyle can lead to muscles getting stiff and inactive, so massage helps rejuvenate them.
Weightbearing jobs where you are on your feet, but not getting a chance to move fully: retail, nursing, kitchen staff etc.
Later stage injury recovery.
Anyone looking to increase suppleness in the muscles and improve circulation.
However, it is not recommended:
If you suspect acute injury then please be aware that massage therapists cannot clinically assess or diagnose, and this should be looked at by either one of our chiropractors or physiotherapists first.
Skin conditions that may get aggravated by friction on the skin, or oils.
Certain blood clotting disorders - your consultant should have advised you if massage is no longer suitable.
Active cancer.
Pregnancy.
Key Benefits of a Leg and Hamstring Massage
Improved circulation and oxygen delivery to the muscles.
Enhanced flexibility and joint mobility.
Reduced muscle tightness and soreness.
Support for post-exercise recovery and injury prevention.
Relief from lower back or hip discomfort linked to tight hamstrings.
What to Expect in a Leg Sports Massage:
Before the session:
Your therapist will begin by asking about your current symptoms, medical history that may affect the treatment, lifestyle, and any specific concerns you may have. They will explain the process so you know what to expect. When it’s time to begin, you’ll be asked to remove any outer clothing that might get in the way, and you’ll be covered with a sheet or towel to keep you warm and maintain your privacy throughout the session.
Step 1: Warming the Muscles:
The session typically begins with gentle, flowing strokes known as effleurage to increase blood flow and prepare the muscles for deeper work. This phase:
Promotes circulation.
Helps tissues relax.
Allows the therapist to identify areas of tightness or imbalance.
This stage sets the foundation for more targeted techniques later in the massage.
Step 2: Getting into the Muscles
This phase focuses on restoring normal muscle length, improving flexibility, and reducing any discomfort. You might feel some tenderness in certain areas, but the intensity should stay around a 7–8 out of 10 on the pain scale at most — and even then, any sharper sensations should ease quickly. More pain doesn’t mean more gain: overly painful massages can actually be counterproductive, as your muscles may tense up and resist relaxing when you're in discomfort.
Common techniques used include:
Petrissage (kneading): Softens and loosens muscular tension
Friction: Addresses adhesions or small knots in the fibers
Myofascial release: Stretches the fascia surrounding the muscles
Trigger point work: Releases concentrated points of tightness or ‘knots’.
These range of techniques are used to work through the muscles of the leg. Addressing these interconnected areas ensures the legs function efficiently as a unit:
Hamstrings: The group of three muscles on the back of the thigh — often carry tension from running, cycling, prolonged sitting, or poor posture. Their primary functions are hip extension and knee flexion.
Calves: To reduce lower-leg fatigue and improve ankle mobility.
Gluteal group: A group of 3 muscles that support hip alignment and relieve tension linked to tight hamstrings.
Quadriceps: A group of 4 muscles on the front of the thigh that are a major knee stabiliser.
Adductors: An often overlooked muscle group on the inner knee and thigh, and communicate directly with the gluteal muscles.
Aftercare Guidance
Post-massage aftercare plays a crucial role in supporting recovery and maximizing therapeutic benefits. After a leg massage, muscles will have increased blood flow and reduced tension, but they may also be more sensitive for 24–48 hours as tissues adapt to the release of metabolic waste and muscular relaxation.
To aid recovery:
Hydration: Drink plenty of water to help flush out metabolic byproducts and support circulation.
Gentle movement: Engage in light stretching or low-intensity activity, such as walking, to maintain mobility without overloading the muscles.
Rest and recovery: Avoid intense exercise or heavy resistance training for at least 24 hours to allow tissues to repair.
Heat or cold therapy: Apply gentle heat to encourage relaxation, or use a cold compress if any post-treatment soreness or inflammation occurs.
Implementing proper aftercare helps sustain the benefits of massage, promoting improved flexibility, muscle recovery, and long-term lower-limb performance.
Summary
Overall, a leg and hamstring massage is more than just a way to relax — it’s a highly effective treatment for improving lower-limb function, flexibility, and recovery. By targeting the major muscle groups — including the hamstrings, quadriceps, adductors, calves, and gluteal muscles — the massage helps to reduce muscular tension, enhance circulation, and support optimal biomechanical performance. Whether used as part of an athlete’s recovery program or to relieve postural strain from daily activities, this form of massage promotes better movement efficiency and reduces the risk of injury. When combined with proper aftercare, it becomes a key component in maintaining healthy, resilient muscles and long-term lower-body performance.
To book your Sports Massage click here.
Please be aware that any signs of significant spinal pain or nerve complaints should be assessed by one of our Dr’s of Chiropractic to diagnose first.
Our clinic is based in central South Woodham Ferrers, with free parking and is easily accessible from Maldon, Chelmsford, Wickford, Danbury, Rayleigh, Wickford, Latchingdon and Southminster.
