Icing and taking it slow are perhaps the two most important pieces of advice sports massage therapist Susan Verity gives to those who run recreationally.

"As soon as you feel a muscle becoming hot and inflamed, ice it," she said. "Icing in the first ten minutes of the injury can ward off two weeks of rehab"

This is because icing reduces inflammation, and before any treatment can be offered in muscle injuries, inflammation must subside.

Massage therapy in the case of muscle injuries does involve pain, she said.

"It's not a nice relaxing massage because we are fixing an injury, but we do work within the pain threshold of our clients."

And she noted that the results are usually immediate, with clients feeling pain during the massage, but feeling better afterward.

She said that it was also important for those with muscle injuries to have follow up massages.

"In these cases we often work to break up scar tissue and that will increase a person's flexibility and thus performance," said Ms Verity.

For those beginning a running program she advises a slow start with slow increases.

People should increase no more than ten percent a week she said.

"So if you start running five miles this week you should not be running seven miles or even six miles next week."