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October 6, 2008

Massage Speeds Muscle Recovery Following Exercise

It's what we've been saying all along. Massage does speed healing and muscle recovery following exercise. These claims may finally be backed up by scientific evidence rather than by anecdotal evidence.

According to a recent study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, researchers at Ohio State University found that Swedish massage helped speed muscle recovery at the cellular level for rabbits who got mechanically intense exercise.

Hmmm. Mechanically intense exercise. Makes you wonder what they did to those rabbits.

Scientists found that the muscles of the massaged rabbits had improved function, less swelling and fewer signs of inflammation than did muscles in non-massaged rabbits.

Whether these results are directly translatable to humans has yet to be seen through clinical trials, but rabbits are a start. And the implications for this research are huge, potentially bringing massage therapy further into the mainstream.

Best said he hopes further research "will dictate how much massage is needed, for how long and when it should be performed after exercise."

tags: massage massagetherapy wellness massage therapy bodywork health

Posted by linda at October 6, 2008 9:23 PM