- Massage was thought to be best way soothe pain
- But research shows that exercise is just as effective
- It’s thought that both help to clear out lactic acid,
associated with exercise and tissue damage
By
Rachel Reilly
04:31 EST, 12 April 2013
|
05:39 EST, 12 April 2013
Exercise is just as effective as massage in treating aching muscles
It’s long been thought that a soothing massage is the best way to ease those post-workout aches and pains.
But new research suggests – rather depressingly – that doing more exercise can be just as effective.
‘It’s a common belief that massage is better, but it isn’t,’ said Lars Andersen, the lead author of the new study, published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.
‘In fact, massage and exercise have the same benefits.’
Earlier research has shown that massage can offer some relief from workout soreness.
To understand how well light exercise compares, Professor Andersen, from the National Research Center for the Working Environment in Copenhagen, asked 20 women to do a shoulder exercise while hooked up to a resistance machine.
The women shrugged their shoulders while the machine applied resistance, which engaged the trapezius muscle between the neck and shoulders.
Two days later, the women returned to the lab with aching trapezius muscles.
On average, they rated their achiness as a five on a ten point scale, up from 0.8 before they had done the shoulder workout.
The women then received a 10-minute massage on one shoulder and did a 10-minute ‘recovery’ exercise on the other shoulder. Some women received the massage first, while others performed the exercise first.
The recovery exercise involved shoulder shrugs like the initial exercise; but this time the women gripped an elastic tube held down by their foot to provide resistance.
Professor Andersen found that, compared to a shoulder that wasn’t getting any attention, both massage and exercise each helped diminish muscle soreness.
Save your money: Spending extra time exercising is just as effective as an indulgent massage, according to new study
The effect peaked 10 minutes after each treatment, with women reporting a pain reduction of 0.8 points after the warm up exercise and 0.7 points after the massage.
‘It’s a moderate change,’ Professor Andersen told Reuters.
He said that athletes would notice a difference in having their soreness reduced by this amount.
‘By reducing soreness, [athletes] could be able to perform better, but we didn’t measure this,’ he said. ‘If you are sore, your movements are very stiff and it’s difficult to perform.’
It’s not
clear how massage or exercise helps relieve soreness, but it is thought
that both help to clear out metabolic byproducts, such as lactic acid,
associated with tissue damage and exercise.
Professor Andersen recommends that people try light exercise to ease their pain.
The effect is moderate, and only offers temporary relief, but the
benefit of using exercise, he said, is that it doesn’t require a
trained therapist, travel time or money.
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The pain from DOMS is known to be from the micro-tears in the muscles, not lactic acid buildup. If I remember right then the pain being a result of lactic acid thing has always been unsupported.
Dave
,
London, United Kingdom,
12/4/2013 13:30
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I had chronic sciatica for nealy 3 years. I started swimming, going 4 times a week and over a period of two months it disappeared. I can’t recommend it highly enough, I was never free of the agony of the back pain even when drugged up to the eyeballs. I still swim regularly, it’s great for mind and body.
Down Trodden
,
Put Upon,
12/4/2013 13:01
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Eat protein, almonds and bananas, ensuring you are getting plenty of potassium and magnesium. No more aches – It really is amazing!
Jonny Primal
,
Wirral,
12/4/2013 12:57
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While bulking you experience such soreness on(Delayed onset muscle soreness) an every day basis. its what I see as you have done your job here. protein, creatine and amino acids (found in meat , dairy or as supplements) helps recover the muscle quicker.
this research seems a bit stupid to me coz if you exercise while you are sore 1 you will not be letting the muscle rest, 2 it will take it longer to recover. unless they mean people who just play around in the gym- bodybuilder
Justsaying
,
london, United Kingdom,
12/4/2013 12:41
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I think I’ll take a fully qualified personal trainer with 10 years experience at the gyms advice over you Rachel, sorry.
truth
,
London,
12/4/2013 12:39
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Yes, I prefer to work through the pain and keep going. My body has learnt to mend itself.
TSPB
,
Trying to make BRITAIN GREAT, United Kingdom,
12/4/2013 12:24
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I’d take this advice with a grain of salt: pain is your body’s way of alerting you to the fact damage that is occurring . Exercise gently if the pain is mild, if it’s very painful see a doctor or wait until the pain lessens enough and start exercise again slowly.
Penelope
,
Australia,
12/4/2013 12:09
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Really? Sports massage always works for me!
Emma
,
Shrewsbury, Shropshire,
12/4/2013 11:48
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