For years, masseuses and those being massaged have claimed unequivocally that massages help relieve pain. But until now, there has never been any scientific evidence to back this up. This changed when a test compared the muscle biopsy data from leg muscles that received a massage and ones that didn’t. The legs massaged for 10 minutes had substantially less inflammation and additional energy production than those that did not get a massage. Both signs are indicative of less pain and speedier muscle recovery.
Good News
Why is this good news? Well, first it will show that massages provide far more than just a surface level treatment since it is now known that they treat muscles on a cellular level. Second, for those who are seeking non-invasive pain relief, they may turn to massage if they know it has a proven positive impact. Third, for practitioners, since massages will likely soon be treated as a recognized medical procedure, it is set to become more popular and gain increased credibility.
At some later point, more research will be conducted to enable a comparison of different types and lengths of massages to further link massage therapy to pain relief.
