Alternative therapy
Massage to heal sore muscles
A massage after vigorous exercise unquestionably feels good, and it seems to reduce pain and help muscles recover. Many people have long contended it eases inflammation, improves blood flow and reduces muscle tightness. Now researchers have found what happens to muscles when a masseur goes to work on them.
Vigorous exercise causes tiny tears in muscle fibers, leading to an immune reaction — inflammation — as the body gets to work repairing the injured cells. So the researchers screened the tissue from the massaged and unmassaged legs to compare their repair processes, and find out what difference massage would make.
They found that massage reduced the production of compounds called cytokines, which play a critical role in inflammation. Massage also stimulated mitochondria, the tiny powerhouses inside cells that convert glucose into the energy essential for cell function and repair.
Getting a massage from a professional masseur is obviously more expensive than taking an aspirin. But, as experts point out, massage techniques can be taught. People within families can learn to massage each other. If you can teach parents to massage kids, couples to massage each other. This can be cost effective.
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