Massage is not for high -end spa that provides cucumbers. For many amateurs and professional athletes, it is an expansion of training programs.
Running races are often characterized by massage stations, and many high -quality gyms offer rubber down after exercise, and most elite sports teams have massage therapists. The massage market is estimated to be over. $ 500 millionAccording to several market research firms led by dozens of companies such as Theragun, Ekrin and MEBAK. But most athletes do not need persuasion.
SHONA HALSON, a professor of sports science at the University of Australia, said, “If you talk with the players, massage is one of your favorite recovery strategies.” And we know why. Because I feel good. Athletes are working to recognize them as beneficial. “
There is no doubt that massage can be better in the short term, and many people find it, and that foam rolling can relieve muscle knots and increase flexibility. And as an athlete, I knew that the massage almost always felt better after a race or a hard exercise.
But as a scientific journalist, I wondered what it was actually doing in my body. So I started research and talked with researchers who surveyed it. Their things are as follows:
Massage on the body
One of the most common arguments for the benefits of massage is that it helps to recover by flushing lactic acid, a chemical that accuses muscle pain after hard workout and hard work.
But while this creates a good story, Dr. Halson said, “It’s just not there.” First of all, the research has long deteriorated lactic acid as a driver of muscle pain, and Dr. Halson said that the body does not need to be removed naturally without help.
In addition, people who exercise regularly are usually good for blood flow. She said that the technology of pushing blood from the limbs is mainly for those who have circulating problems, she said.
Nevertheless, the idea that massage helps to wash away waste from muscles continues to persist, but it is a chemical process that moves these substances by intercepting cell membranes, not physical compression.
The reality is that most of the physiological advantages of massage are not supported by powerful evidence. 2020 Meta -analysis The influence of massage on performance and recovery was reviewed 29 (mainly small) studies, including 1,012 participants, and massage did not cause measurable improvements in fatigue and performance, and only humble advantages to muscle pain and flexibility were humble.
Timothy Chico, a professor of cardiovascular medicine at the University of Sheffield, England, said, “We haven’t found any evidence that massage is helpful.
But some of the massage It may not be easy to measure. Dr. Halson said he felt very different from his hand after his muscles were treated.
What does massage do for the heart
Experts say the biggest advantage of massage can be psychological.
Dr. Hoffman and his colleagues Random Test the benefits of massage to 72 runners who have just completed the 2015 Western States Endurance, a 100 -mile trail lace of Sierra Nevadas. They compared the traditional massage of the trained therapist with pneumatic compression boots. They found that two types of massage immediately relieved muscle pain and fatigue, but the effect was temporary.
Likewise, A 2020 review Sports massage studies have not found the physiological benefits of massage.
Some small studies have a neurological at least about massage guns. Vibration on the skin is known to decrease. In some situations, pain. It is still investigating how it works exactly One small study It points to the interaction between the two areas of the brain associated with pain coding and touches possible explanations.
Experts say that one of the biggest benefits of massage is that it helps to reduce stress and tension. Dr. Halson said that it is not a focus of many research, but massage can clearly help people relax and release the psychiatric and life stress that can cause fatigue and damage physical recovery.
“For some athletes, massage is a time of briefing and unloaded.
conclusion
Tim Roberts, the vice president of science and innovation in Therabody, said, “Massage is not magic.” Massage guns are not a secret way to improve recovery.
His point was sympathetic with me. While investigating a book about exercise recovery, I tried to tricks after dozens of exercises, but I knew I helped me to relax or do something while my body was healed. But this does not mean that they are not worth.
It is still my favorite way to know that the physical benefits of massage are very uncertain. It’s not because I think I’ll squeeze toxins, but because I feel really good and relax.
Dr. Hullson probably thought that many athletes were worth it. It may feel better for recovery.
Christie Aschwanden is a writer headquartered in West Colorado and is the author of “Good To Go: All athletes of our athletes can learn from strange recovery science.”
