While a massage after a strenuous exercise session seems pleasant, it would not be beneficial for the blood circulation. According to researchers at Queen’s University in Ontario1in a study revealed in 2009, a massage session immediately after exercise would reduce blood flow and the dissipation of lactic acid in the muscles.
The researchers conducted a small clinical trial with 12 men with an average age of 24. Participants performed an isometric forearm contraction exercise for 2 minutes, at 40% of their maximum voluntary contraction2. A third of them received a light touch and knead massage, the second third recovered actively, performing the same exercises at 10% of maximum contraction, and the last rested. Blood flow and lactate level were measured in the forearm every minute for 10 minutes in all participants.
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What is lactic acid |
The results showed that mechanical compressions during massage altered the rate of blood flow in the forearm and reduced blood flow more than rest. Lactic acid in the muscles was better eliminated during active recovery.
According to the researchers, massage after exercise would not be harmful, but its benefits would not be related to the circulation or the elimination of lactic acid in the muscles.
Sports massage administered with the right techniques should help the circulation of lactic acid which is already present in the blood system, says Alain Bellemare, sports massage therapist at the Quebec Sports Physiotherapy Center and at the CEPSUM of the University of Montreal. “Some maneuvers used in the study may not be appropriate,” he says.
But massage after intense activity has several other uses than those associated with the dissipation of lactic acid. It helps to regulate “the different anatomical systems used during the action, for example the oxygen transport system”, specifies Alain Bellemare. In the longer term, it allows, among other things, to know the different points of tension that could cause injuries; to untie the adhesions between the different fabrics; to restore flexibility to muscles and joints, and to irrigate tissues.
Emmanuelle Bergeron and Julie Fortier – PasseportSanté.net
1. Wiltshire V, Poitras V et al. Odd massage rather than enhances lactic acid removal from muscle after strenuous exercise. Results presented at the American College of Sports Medicine Symposium, held in Seattle May 27-30, 2009.
2. The exercises were performed with a tensor (handgrip), a handle that works the muscles of the forearms, connected to a device allowing the participant to adapt the force that he deploys.
