New Findings on Massage



Dave K

In 2010, this blog reported that: "there's no definitive research showing that massage either benefits or doesn't benefit runners."  However, you may want to read the 2010 blog post on massage for information and resources.

And, now, there's good news for massage enthusiasts!  Recently, there appears to be growing scientific evidence of the benefits of massage for athletes and overall health.

In February 2012, a New York Times reporter wrote that that researchers have found what happens to muscles when a massage therapist goes to work on them.  In the article, titled How Massage Heals Sore Muscles, results were discussed of a study published earlier that month in the Science Translational Medicine journal. 

The study concluded that massage can effectively reduce inflammation and promote cell function and repair.  Further, the study found that massage works quite differently from anti-inflammatory drugs, which reduce inflammation and pain but may actually retard healing, while massage can both suppress inflammation and actually enhance cell recovery.

Then in March 2012, the Wall Street Journal reported that new studies are showing it has a wide variety of tangible health benefits.  In the article, Don't Call It Pampering: Massage Wants to Be Medicine, the Wall St Journal noted that "Research over the past couple of years has found that massage therapy boosts immune function in women with breast cancer, improves symptoms in children with asthma, and increases grip strength in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome." The article went on to note that massage is effective for treating lower back pain, and offers other benefits.

And there you have it.  So, the next time you go for a massage that others may call frivilous, you can tell them it's not a luxury but a necessity for serious athletes.  I'd write more about this topic, but I've got to dash off for my massage appointment (sorry, not funny, couldn't resist).

-Dave K
Flyers Blogmaster