Saturday, May 19, 2012
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
How Massage Heals Sore Muscles
Originally published in The New York Times--The last two paragraphs are golden!
A massage after vigorous exercise unquestionably feels good, and it seems to reduce pain and help muscles recover. Many people — both athletes and health professionals – have long contended it eases inflammation, improves blood flow and reduces muscle tightness. But until now no one has understood why massage has this apparently beneficial effect.
Now researchers have found what happens to muscles when a masseur goes to work on them.
Their experiment required having people exercise to exhaustion and undergo five incisions in their legs in order to obtain muscle tissue for analysis. Despite the hurdles, the scientists still managed to find 11 brave young male volunteers. The study was published in the Feb. 1 issue of Science Translational Medicine.
On a first visit, they biopsied one leg of each subject at rest. At a second session, they had them vigorously exercise on a stationary bicycle for more than an hour until they could go no further. Then they massaged one thigh of each subject for 10 minutes, leaving the other to recover on its own. Immediately after the massage, they biopsied the thigh muscle in each leg again. After allowing another two-and-a-half hours of rest, they did a third biopsy to track the process of muscle injury and repair.
Vigorous exercise causes tiny tears in muscle fibers, leading to an immune reaction — inflammation — as the body gets to work repairing the injured cells. So the researchers screened the tissue from the massaged and unmassaged legs to compare their repair processes, and find out what difference massage would make.
They found that massage reduced the production of compounds called cytokines, which play a critical role in inflammation. Massage also stimulated mitochondria, the tiny powerhouses inside cells that convert glucose into the energy essential for cell function and repair. “The bottom line is that there appears to be a suppression of pathways in inflammation and an increase in mitochondrial biogenesis,” helping the muscle adapt to the demands of increased exercise, said the senior author, Dr. Mark A. Tarnopolsky.
Dr. Tarnopolsky, a professor of pediatrics and medicine at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, said that massage works quite differently from Nsaids and other anti-inflammatory drugs, which reduce inflammation and pain but may actually retard healing. Many people, for instance, pop an aspirin or Aleve at the first sign of muscle soreness. “There’s some theoretical concern that there is a maladaptive response in the long run if you’re constantly suppressing inflammation with drugs,” he said. “With massage, you can have your cake and eat it too—massage can suppress inflammation and actually enhance cell recovery.”
“This is important research, because it is the first to show that massage can reduce pro-inflammatory cytokines which may be involved in pain,” said Tiffany Field, director of the Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami Medical School. She was not involved in the study. “We have known from many studies that pain can be reduced by massage based on self-report, but this is the first demonstration that the pain-related pro-inflammatory cytokines can be reduced.” she said.
Getting a massage from a professional masseur is obviously more expensive than taking an aspirin. But, as Dr. Field points out, massage techniques can be taught. “People within families can learn to massage each other,” she said. “If you can teach parents to massage kids, couples to massage each other. This can be cost effective.”
Dr. Tarnopolsky suggests that, in the long run, a professional massage may even be a better bargain than a pill. “If someone says “This is free and it might make you feel better, but it may slow down your recovery, do you still want it?” he asked. “Or would you rather spend the 50 bucks for a post-exercise massage that also might enhance your recovery?”
A massage after vigorous exercise unquestionably feels good, and it seems to reduce pain and help muscles recover. Many people — both athletes and health professionals – have long contended it eases inflammation, improves blood flow and reduces muscle tightness. But until now no one has understood why massage has this apparently beneficial effect.
Now researchers have found what happens to muscles when a masseur goes to work on them.
Their experiment required having people exercise to exhaustion and undergo five incisions in their legs in order to obtain muscle tissue for analysis. Despite the hurdles, the scientists still managed to find 11 brave young male volunteers. The study was published in the Feb. 1 issue of Science Translational Medicine.
On a first visit, they biopsied one leg of each subject at rest. At a second session, they had them vigorously exercise on a stationary bicycle for more than an hour until they could go no further. Then they massaged one thigh of each subject for 10 minutes, leaving the other to recover on its own. Immediately after the massage, they biopsied the thigh muscle in each leg again. After allowing another two-and-a-half hours of rest, they did a third biopsy to track the process of muscle injury and repair.
Vigorous exercise causes tiny tears in muscle fibers, leading to an immune reaction — inflammation — as the body gets to work repairing the injured cells. So the researchers screened the tissue from the massaged and unmassaged legs to compare their repair processes, and find out what difference massage would make.
They found that massage reduced the production of compounds called cytokines, which play a critical role in inflammation. Massage also stimulated mitochondria, the tiny powerhouses inside cells that convert glucose into the energy essential for cell function and repair. “The bottom line is that there appears to be a suppression of pathways in inflammation and an increase in mitochondrial biogenesis,” helping the muscle adapt to the demands of increased exercise, said the senior author, Dr. Mark A. Tarnopolsky.
Dr. Tarnopolsky, a professor of pediatrics and medicine at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, said that massage works quite differently from Nsaids and other anti-inflammatory drugs, which reduce inflammation and pain but may actually retard healing. Many people, for instance, pop an aspirin or Aleve at the first sign of muscle soreness. “There’s some theoretical concern that there is a maladaptive response in the long run if you’re constantly suppressing inflammation with drugs,” he said. “With massage, you can have your cake and eat it too—massage can suppress inflammation and actually enhance cell recovery.”
“This is important research, because it is the first to show that massage can reduce pro-inflammatory cytokines which may be involved in pain,” said Tiffany Field, director of the Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami Medical School. She was not involved in the study. “We have known from many studies that pain can be reduced by massage based on self-report, but this is the first demonstration that the pain-related pro-inflammatory cytokines can be reduced.” she said.
Getting a massage from a professional masseur is obviously more expensive than taking an aspirin. But, as Dr. Field points out, massage techniques can be taught. “People within families can learn to massage each other,” she said. “If you can teach parents to massage kids, couples to massage each other. This can be cost effective.”
Dr. Tarnopolsky suggests that, in the long run, a professional massage may even be a better bargain than a pill. “If someone says “This is free and it might make you feel better, but it may slow down your recovery, do you still want it?” he asked. “Or would you rather spend the 50 bucks for a post-exercise massage that also might enhance your recovery?”
Friday, May 11, 2012
Spring Fever
Today I was reflecting on how when I worked for the government that this was the time of year that I used a butt-load of vacation and sick leave. Spring Fever is highly contagious and I was just being responsible by not coming into work and sharing the germs! Now that I am self-employed I just excuse myself from work by saying "I'm sorry but I am out of the office today."
Heard This Week on the Massage Table
Client: Do you mind doing feet?
Me: No. Why do you ask? (As I am massaging her feet)
Client: Well, I guess I just wonder how fresh some of them might be after a long day.
Me: Well, that is when I bring out the hand sanitizer and call it coolant for the feet.
Client: Did you do the right side of my back?
Me: Yes. That was around the time I heard snoring.
Client: Your hubby was telling me that your chickens got out and you had to get them back in their pen. How did that go?
Me: Well it started out with me picking them up gently and putting them back in their pen. After about 20 of them decided to explore the creek behind my house, it went south in a hurry. An hour and a half later they were getting snatched up by their necks and feet and hurled over the fence. When my husband got home and asked me if I got them all I said "I got what I saw and if there are any missing it's tough".
Client: He is the prettiest man in Lexington. His wife is smoking hot but he is prettier than she is.
Client: My workout partner told me about you working her psoas and let me just say I want no part of that!
Me: No. Why do you ask? (As I am massaging her feet)
Client: Well, I guess I just wonder how fresh some of them might be after a long day.
Me: Well, that is when I bring out the hand sanitizer and call it coolant for the feet.
Client: Did you do the right side of my back?
Me: Yes. That was around the time I heard snoring.
Client: Your hubby was telling me that your chickens got out and you had to get them back in their pen. How did that go?
Me: Well it started out with me picking them up gently and putting them back in their pen. After about 20 of them decided to explore the creek behind my house, it went south in a hurry. An hour and a half later they were getting snatched up by their necks and feet and hurled over the fence. When my husband got home and asked me if I got them all I said "I got what I saw and if there are any missing it's tough".
Client: He is the prettiest man in Lexington. His wife is smoking hot but he is prettier than she is.
Client: My workout partner told me about you working her psoas and let me just say I want no part of that!
Mother's Day Quotes
"The phrase "working mother" is redundant."
~Jane Sellman
"Cleaning up with children around is like shoveling during a blizzard"
~ Author Unknown
"All of us have moments in out lives that test our courage. Taking children into a house with a white carpet is one of them." ~Erma Bombeck
"Working mothers are guinea pigs in a scientific experiment to show that sleep is not necessary to human life."
~ Author Unknown
"Any mother could perform the jobs of several air-traffic controllers with ease."
~ Lisa Alther
"A suburban mother's role is to deliver children obstetrically once, and by car forever after. "
~Peter De Vries
~ Author Unknown
"Any mother could perform the jobs of several air-traffic controllers with ease."
~ Lisa Alther
"A suburban mother's role is to deliver children obstetrically once, and by car forever after. "
~Peter De Vries
"If there were no schools to take the children away from home part of the time, the insane asylum would be filled with mothers."
~Edgar Watson Howe
"If evolution really works, how come mothers only have two hands?"
~Milton Berle
~Edgar Watson Howe
"If evolution really works, how come mothers only have two hands?"
~Milton Berle
~Ed Asner
"By and large, mothers and housewives are the only workers who do not have regular time off. They are the great vacationless class."
~Anne Morrow Lindbergh
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Chicken Chow.......
Last night my husband and I dined at a Chinese buffet. We feasted until our bellies were quite full, so full in fact that I could not imagine dessert fitting anywhere in my already bloated abdomen. Luckily for me, the desserts at this joint are generally the same quality food as your elementary school cafeteria "sweets", so I can usually pass on the dessert. Hubby is not as discriminating in his taste so he tends to get their version of ice cream. Meaning soft serve, semi-frozen, bland milk product. And last night was to be no exception to this ~except~ he also returned to our table with a gigantic stack of sugar cookies.
"Hungry much?," I asked before rolling my eyes and laughing. Hubby frowned at me and ever so slowly took his cookie stash from the plate and carefully stuffed them in his cargo shorts pocket. I started laughing harder and asked "What? Are those for later?". Hubby ate his sherbet and ignored me.
When we arrived home Hubby walked to our backyard with much purpose. He pulled out the cookies and began feeding our chickens. He glanced at me and said "You really didn't think I was going to eat those did you?". I quipped "Who knew? I guess when you go to a Chinese restaurant you don't get chicken chow mein--you just opt for the chicken chow."
"Hungry much?," I asked before rolling my eyes and laughing. Hubby frowned at me and ever so slowly took his cookie stash from the plate and carefully stuffed them in his cargo shorts pocket. I started laughing harder and asked "What? Are those for later?". Hubby ate his sherbet and ignored me.
When we arrived home Hubby walked to our backyard with much purpose. He pulled out the cookies and began feeding our chickens. He glanced at me and said "You really didn't think I was going to eat those did you?". I quipped "Who knew? I guess when you go to a Chinese restaurant you don't get chicken chow mein--you just opt for the chicken chow."
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