Massage your muscles for fast post-exercise recovery
Scientists have now found early evidence that backs the long-held theory that therapeutic massage can accelerate the process of recovery after a sports injury. After conducting a study with animals, they have determined that immediate cyclic compression of muscles after intense exercise reduced swelling and muscle damage.
Although it is too early to apply the results straightaway to humans in a clinical environment, they consider the results a strong start toward scientific confirmation of massage's benefits to athletes after intense eccentric exercise, when muscles contract and lengthen simultaneously.
Thomas Best, senior author of the study and professor of family medicine at Ohio State University said this continuing research is likely to have huge clinical implications “If we can define the mechanism for recovery, the translation of these findings to the clinic will dictate how much massage is needed, for how long, and when it should be performed after exercise," he said.
For the study, conducted with rabbits for actual testing of the healing effects of massage, the scientists used one mechanical device to mimic movements associated with a specific kind of exercise, and a second device to follow the exercise with a simulated consistent massaging motion on the affected muscles. They then compared these animals to other animals that performed the exercise movements but did not receive simulated massage. All animals were sedated during the experiments.
Best said they tried to mimic Swedish massage as it's believed to be the most popular technique used by athletes. "A review of the research in this area shows that in spite of the existing anecdotal evidence - we know athletes use massage all the time - researchers don't understand how massage improves recovery after exercise and injury.”
Swedish massage combines long strokes, kneading and friction techniques on muscles and various movements of joints.
After the experimental exercise and massage, the researchers compared the muscle tissues of all of the animals, and observed that the muscles in animals who received simulated massage had improved function, less swelling and fewer signs of inflammation than did muscles in the animals that received no massage treatment after exercise.
The study concentrated on eccentric exercise, which creates a motion similar to the way in which quadriceps in human thighs are exercised during a downhill run. In the research, the scientists focused on the tibialis anterior muscle, located on the front of the shin in humans. The simulated exercise involved continuous flexing and pointing of the toes to exert the muscle during seven sets of 10 cycles, with two minutes of rest between each set.
Immediately after the exercise, the affected muscle was given simulated massage for 30 minutes. The scientists used mathematical equations to determine the appropriate amount of force to apply to the animal muscle, which was intended to match the force Swedish massage typically places on a patient's spine. The device used was designed by Yi Zhao, a co-author of the study and assistant professor of biomedical engineering at OSU.
The exercise-massage cycle was repeated for four days, after which the animals' muscle strength and tissue were examined. It was found that the massaged muscles recovered an estimated 60% of the strength after the four-day trial, compared to restoration of about 14% of strength in muscles that were exercised and then rested.
Similarly, the massaged muscles were found to have fewer damaged muscle fibers and almost no sign of white blood cells. The presence of white blood cells would suggest that the body was working to repair muscle damage, when compared with the rested muscles. The massaged muscles weighed about 8% less than the rested muscles, suggesting that the massage helped prevent swelling, said Best.
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