Massage For Muscle Recovery

New findings at the McMaster University regarding the effects of brief 10 minute massages to help reduce muscular inflammation shows that massage can be a promising non-drug therapy. Massage can alleviate pain and inflammation that are related to chronic conditions like arthritis and muscular dystrophy.

Justin Crane, doctoral student in the Department of Kinesiology at McMaster University was a part of the research that discovered the deeper effect of massage. This well accepted therapy for reducing muscle tension triggers biochemical sensors that can somehow reduce inflammation through sending signals to the muscle cells. Massage also sends signals to the muscle fibers to build more mitochondria which are organelles that provide power to the cell.

The muscle senses that it is being stretched and pulled during a massage which stimulates it to reduce the cell’s inflammatory response; this is why massage therapy is indeed very beneficial in reducing pain, recovering from an injury and maintaining the health and strength of the muscle fibers.

The study, which will appear in the February 1 issue of Science Translational Medicine, included 11 men who were in their 20s. The exercise capacity of these men was assessed before the test with the use of a bicycle. After riding the exercise bike to near exhaustion, all rested for 10 minutes; as they rested, massage oil was applied on both legs. However massage was performed on just one leg only using techniques that are commonly used in rehabilitation. Results, through muscle biopsies, revealed that there was reduced inflammation on the massaged leg compared to the one that was only applied with massage oil.

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