LifeCare Chiropractic

The Best Chiropractic Care in Mesa, Arizona

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Have a Muscle Injury? Don’t Neglect This Therapy

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massage for sports injuries
Advanced soft tissue techniques important after sports injuries

You decide that, after a decade of watching all 600 UFC fights from the couch, to start Krav Maga. While it sounded like a good idea, the following day you call into work because you can’t move.

The first home remedies to cross your mind include rest (which is what got you into this mess in the first place), ice and half a bottle of ibuprofen.  While this may be what everyone thinks we should do, I would suggest that none of the choices are part of the best way to handle most injuries.  I have addressed how bad of an idea the anti-inflammatory approach is many times in the past (all of which can be summarized in my eBook on NSAID dangers, which can be found by clicking here).

But, rather than pointing out what you should NOT do, this article is focused on what you should do.  And while it may seem a little self-serving, I do have this particular article to back up what I have to say and give it some validity.  Basically, the authors discuss the path of muscle injury and repair.  Specifically, they mention two hormones produced by our bodies: transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 amd vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF).

These two hormones may play a role in increasing blood flow to injured muscles and lowering the risk of scar tissue (fibrosis) from developing after an injury, and the authors suggest that massage may benefit muscle injuries by increasing the levels of these repair hormones.

Since our office combines advanced soft tissue techniques with manipulation, my self-serving advice would be that, after any type of muscle injury the standard approach of rest, ice and ibuprofen should be scrapped and you should make an appointment with your local chiropractor.

But, of course, my opinion is extremely biased.

 

SHOULD I GET A MASSAGE AFTER I WORKOUT?

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The easy answer is, of course, yes.  But why?  Massage therapists, personal trainers and chiropractors have stated forever that massage helps to “wash out” lactic acid produced during a workout and this will help reduce soreness from competition or exercise.  Turns out, this isn’t exactly true.

Actually, in this particular study, the levels of lactic acid went up after massage while, at the same time, blood flow was reduced in the muscle region being treated.  This just continues to sound like the opposite of what has always been promoted under the health benefits of massage.  So what did the researchers find?

Overall, massage sent chemical signals into the cells of the muscles (for those technical junkies… it activated the mechanotransduction signaling pathways focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and extracellular signal–regulated kinase 1/2).  This resulted in two powerful effects.

First, it lowered the production of inflammation in the injured / exercised muscle.  Imagine this–forget taking anything like ibuprofen or Tylenol or Alieve because you worked out too hard–just call our office for an appointment instead!  Not only do you avoid derailing the healing process with over the counter drugs, but you will actually lower the damage that would have otherwise occurred from the exertion.  Pretty neat.

Second, and even more astounding, massage (via the signalling pathway noted above) actually increased the number of mitochondria!  For those of you who are new readers, you may be scratching your head trying to remember what Ms. Pendleton had said about mitochondria in your high school biology class 30 years ago.  Regular readers, however, will understand that the mitchondria are the holy grail of good health.  The more mitochondria we have and the better they function, the less likely we are to get any disease.  Period.

Could this mechanism be one of the reasons we see some of the benefits of massage and improvements in chronic pain patients, patients with fatigue or fibromyalgia patients?  Could massage actually lower your risk of diabetes by improving mitochondrial function??  Stay tuned…

In the meantime, if you are local and have a strong desire to increase your own mitochondrial function, sign up for our massage club today and start improving your health.