Muscle Biopsy Shows Massage Acts Like Advil or Motrin

We applaud the volunteers for this ground-breaking study of the pain reducing benefits of massage. It happens to be a group of men who were asked to vigorously exercise their thighs and then recieve 3 muscle biopsies--before, immediately following and 2.5 hours after a 10 minute massage (half the group received no massage...extra kudos to them!)

 Inflammatory cytokines (immune system molecules that cause painful inflammation) were reduced by massage. 

Was it worth it? A resounding yes, because the dogged scientists at McMasters University in Canada who conducted this rather ingenious and slightly diabolical experiment (published in the serious journal Science) were able to give the world a detailed picture of the cellular effects of massage the likes of which have never been seen nor hardly imagined. 

What they found is that massage works in very much the same way that Advil, Motrin and other so-called non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs do to reduce inflammation. Incredibly, just 10 minutes of massage after a workout hard enough to cause soreness (measured by changes in muscle fiber) was enough to reduce the inflammatory response to the workout 2.5 hours afterwards.  Those who received the massage were less sore than those who didn't, and the researchers know exactly why.

The McMasters lab had some serious equipment that allowed the team to extract nuclear proteins, analyze DNA and compare levels of cell signalling molecues. They found that inflammatory cytokines (immune system molecules that cause painful inflammation) were reduced by massage.  Even more surprising for the researchers,  the cells that generate energy (called mitochondria) bounced back quicker in the muscles that were massaged.

Why should anyone go to such lengths to prove what many people already know from experience?  Well, the researchers have an answer for that: "The effectiveness and mechanistic underpinnings of movement or touch-based rehabilitation medicine (physiotherapy) and its related techniques are largely unsubstantiated," the authors write in their discussion of results. "Because musculoskeletal problems have a significant impact on daily function and quality of life, it is important to validate treatments that enhance recovery, moderate inflammation, and reduce pain in skeletal muscle."

Their conclusion was that after exercise, massage achieves pain reduction and muscle recovery similar to pain-killing drugs without the sometimes serious side-effects. This is a major step forward in substantiating the benefits of massage, and will perhaps make some people feel less guilty the next time they pay the massage therapist.