09/01/2017
MEREA Monday FAQs!
Can massage boost recovery after a race?
Science's biggest discovery is what massage can do for athletic recovery. Studies published in the Journal of Athletic Training and the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that massage after exercise reduced the intensity of delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS)—that is, the peg-legged feeling you get two days after your marathon. And other research suggests that it improves immune function and reduces inflammation. Emory University researcher Mark Rapaport, M.D., found that just one massage treatment resulted in an increased number of several types of lymphocytes (white blood cells that play a key role in fighting infection) while also decreasing levels of cortisol (the "stress hormone" linked to chronic inflammation). "More research is needed, but it's reasonable to think that massage could help runners taxed from exertion," Rapaport says. It may also help curb chronic diseases. "We know that systemic inflammation is associated with a lot of deleterious effects, such as heart attack and stroke, and that it predisposes people to cancers," he says.
Justin Crane, Ph.D., a McMaster University researcher who conducted some of the first objective studies on massage in 2012, published a research in Science Translational Medicine, found less inflammation in massaged limbs—and 30 percent more of a gene that helps muscle cells build mitochondria (the "engines" that turn a cell's food into energy and facilitate its repair). "What we saw suggests that massage could let runners tolerate more training, and harder training, because it would improve their recovery and speed up their ability to go hard two days later," he says.
Regular massage can boost recovery and be a valuable training tool to help you run your best. According to JoEllen Sefton, Ph.D., associate professor of kinesiology at Auburn University,"Muscle stiffness can throw off your gait, which leads to problems over time," Sefton says. "And by getting a sense for how your body should feel when everything is in balance, you're more likely to notice small issues before they turn into chronic problems." Even beginning runners can benefit from massage, because alleviating the soreness that comes with starting a new sport makes people more likely to stick with it.
Can't afford weekly treatments? Self-massage with foam rollers and other tools like tennis balls can be beneficial in between visits. They can also help runners prep for workouts, since they loosen muscles. "Just don't overdo the pressure," says Sefton, who notes that even a person's body weight on a foam roller sometimes applies too much force (and causes muscles to tighten in defense). "Bodywork just before a race or hard workout should be light," says massage therapist Anna Gammal, who worked with athletes at the 2012 Olympics. "We don't want muscles to feel sore or overworked.”
Kelly Bastone, runnersworld.com
