Most people who have experienced a massage know that massage feels good. There is plenty of anecdotal evidence that receiving massage can be a great way to feel better after intense exercise. Although things that feel good do not necessarily require explanation, justification often seems necessary for the acceptance of alternative healthcare. As research on massage begins to catch up to individual experience of massage, we can hope that more people feel empowered to include massage in their regular healthcare.
Understanding the biological bases of the effects of massage on the body and mind can not only enhance the incorporation of massage therapy into healthcare, but can further understanding of the self – to improve our relationship to our own bodies and minds.
Many studies have demonstrated that massage helps reduce pain associated with exercise. It is a common misconception that massage is effective for pain reduction through the removal of “toxins” from the body, including lactic acid. Lactic acid is frequently cited as a cause of delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) after exercise. Although exercise is often associated with soreness and fatigue, and exercise can lead to increased lactic acid production, the two are not necessarily linked.
So…if lactic acid doesn’t cause DOMS, how does massage help the body to recover from exercise? To start, it’s important to understand how exercise impacts muscular development.
Briefly, exercise causes short-term muscle damage (myofibril injury). As the body recovers from the injury, myofibrils increase in number and in size to accommodate the increased demand on the body. One marker of increased myofibril number is an increase in the number of mitochondria, the organelles responsible for energy production within cells.
Massage after exercise was shown to increase the expression of genes associated with mitochondrial biogenesis, or the development of new mitochondria. By increasing the production of these genes, massage might promote more mitochondrial biogenesis after exercise. This could lead to a faster recovery time and assist in the development of new, functional muscular tissue.
In addition to measuring markers of mitochondrial development, the genetic markers of our inflammatory process have been studied. Researchers found that massage led to a decrease in the production of genes associated with the small proteins involved in the inflammatory process. So, by reducing cell-to-cell inflammatory processes in muscular tissue, massage may reduce inflammatory pain and may lead to a faster recovery time after exercise.
– by Paula D, licensed massage therapist