Why Does Massaging Sore Muscles Feel Good?

why does massaging sore muscles feel good

What Happens When You Exercise

Exercise is great for your health. When you exercise, your muscles have to work very hard. This extra work causes tiny tears and damage to the muscle fibers. The muscles become inflamed, swollen, and sore. This is called delayed onset muscle soreness or DOMS. DOMS usually starts 24-48 hours after exercising and can last up to 72 hours.

Why Do Muscles Get Sore After Exercise?

Muscles are made up of fibers bundled together. During exercise, some fibers can get overstretched or torn from repetitive motions. The torn fibers release chemicals that cause inflammation and pain. More fluid builds up around the damaged fibers, making the muscle swell. The swollen, damaged fibers press on nearby nerves, causing soreness. All this inflammation and swelling makes the muscles stiff and tender.

Massage Can Reduce Soreness

Massage helps relieve sore, stiff muscles in a few ways:

Increases Blood Flow

Massage strokes on the skin push blood through the area. More fresh blood brings oxygen and nutrients to help repair damaged tissue. It also flushes away chemicals, causing inflammation. This reduces swelling, allowing the muscle fibers to move more freely.

Releases Muscle Tension

Massage techniques like kneading and rolling apply pressure to muscle knots and adhesions. This releases built-up tension in the fibers so they can relax and lengthen. Relaxed muscles have less pressure on nerves, reducing soreness.

Breaks Up Scar Tissue

Deep massage strokes break up scar tissue that builds up as muscles heal. Scar tissue makes muscles stiff and less flexible. Breaking it up helps restore normal muscle movement.

Stimulates Healing

Massage lightly stimulates the nervous system. This signals the body to send more nutrients and fluids to help heal and rebuild damaged tissue.

Immediate Relief

Within minutes of starting a massage, people feel their muscles relaxing and soreness decreasing. Studies show massage quickly reduces muscle stiffness and increases range of motion. Just this short-term relief from pain makes a massage feel good right away.

Long-Term Recovery

While massage provides immediate relief, it also helps muscles heal over time. Studies found massage reduced soreness even more 24-72 hours after exercise. Regular massages can help muscles recover strength faster after being damaged. Some ways massage helps long-term are:

  • Reducing swelling and scar tissue buildup
  • Increasing blood flow to supply nutrients and oxygen
  • Removing damaged tissue so new tissue can form
  • Encouraging regeneration of muscle cells

Feel-Good Hormones

Massage also releases hormones in the body that fight pain and stress, including:

  • Endorphins – natural painkillers
  • Serotonin – improves mood
  • Dopamine – controls pleasure and reward
  • Oxytocin – induces relaxation

These hormones bring feelings of euphoria and calmness during and after a massage.

Simple Self-Massage Techniques

You don’t need a professional massage or training to reap benefits. Try these self-massage techniques on sore muscles:

Effleurage

Use flat hands to glide over the skin’s surface lightly. Go slow with gentle pressure. Repeat up and down the muscle.

Petrissage

Grip muscle tissue with fingers or thumbs and gently lift, roll, and knead.

Compression

Apply sustained, even pressure with palms, knuckles, or forearms on tender areas.

Trigger Point Release

Find knots or tight bands. Press and hold pressure on the most tender spot for 30-60 seconds until it releases.

Perform self-massage daily, especially after exercise. Even just 5-10 minutes can make a difference in reducing soreness. Experiment with different strokes and pressure until you find what feels best.

When to See a Professional

If self-massage does not provide enough relief, see a massage therapist. They can target deeper muscles and use advanced techniques. Get professional massages 1-2 times per week when training intensely or recovering from injury.

The Soothing Power of Touch

Scientific evidence clearly shows massage effectively reduces muscle soreness both immediately and long-term. It decreases pain signals and kick-starts the healing process. It also induces relaxation by releasing feel-good hormones. But the soothing power of the human touch likely contributes, too. Therapeutic touch, combined with the physical benefits, creates a wonderful experience.

Additional Benefits of Massage Therapy

Aside from relieving muscle soreness, massage therapy has a range of additional health benefits that make it a valuable tool for overall well-being.

Mental Health Benefits

Massage can have a positive effect on mental health. It has been shown to reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression. Massage’s soothing, relaxing nature can decrease stress levels, promote a feeling of calmness, and improve an individual’s mood.

Improved Sleep Quality

Massage therapy can help improve sleep quality. The relaxation and reduction in stress that massage provides can lead to better quality and longer sleep duration. This is particularly beneficial for individuals with insomnia or other sleep disorders.

Enhanced Immune Function

Regular massage can enhance the immune system by stimulating the lymphatic system, which helps the body fight off infections and diseases. Massage can also decrease cortisol levels, a stress hormone that can weaken the immune system.

Improved Posture

Massage therapy can help improve posture by relieving muscle tension for maintaining correct posture. This can help correct postural imbalances, reduce pain associated with poor posture, and prevent future postural problems.

The Science Behind Massage

The science behind why massage is effective is complex and involves numerous physiological processes. When pressure is applied to the body during a massage, it stimulates various receptors under the skin and within the muscles, joints, and tendons. This stimulation sends signals to the brain, which releases endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers.

Additionally, massage can decrease the production of the stress hormone cortisol, leading to an overall feeling of relaxation and stress relief. It can also stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, known as the “rest and digest” system, promoting recovery and rejuvenation.

The Future of Massage Therapy Research

While massage therapy has been shown to have numerous benefits for muscle recovery and overall health, more research is needed to understand the mechanisms behind these benefits fully. Future research could focus on different types of massage, the optimal timing and duration of massage sessions, and the long-term effects of regular massage therapy.

Conclusion

Massaging sore muscles feels good because it brings immediate relief from pain and speeds up the muscle recovery process. The increased blood flow reduces inflammation while the pressure releases built-up tension. Massage also aids long-term healing by stimulating regeneration and breaking up scar tissue. In addition, relaxing hormones are released, bringing feelings of euphoria. Self-massage techniques can ease soreness daily, while professional massages help the deepest muscles recover. Both physically and emotionally, a massage soothes sore muscles in the best of ways.

References

Crommert, M. E., Lacourpaille, L., Heales, L. J., Tucker, K., & Hug, F. (2015). Massage induces an immediate, albeit short-term, reduction in muscle stiffness. Scandinavian journal of medicine & science in sports, 25(5), e487-e496. https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.12341

Guo, J., Li, L., Gong, Y., Zhu, R., Xu, J., Zou, J., … & Chen, X. (2017). Massage alleviates delayed onset muscle soreness after strenuous exercise: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in physiology, 8, 747. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2017.00747

Tiidus, P., & Shoemaker, J. (1995). Effleurage massage, muscle blood flow and long-term post-exercise strength recovery. International journal of sports medicine, 16(7), 478-483. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-2007-973041

Torres, R., Ribeiro, F., Duarte, J. A., & Cabri, J. M. (2012). Evidence of the physiotherapeutic interventions used currently after exercise-induced muscle damage: systematic review and meta-analysis. Physical therapy in sport, 13(2), 101-114. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ptsp.2011.07.005

Zhao, N., Liu, B., Liu, S. W., Zhang, W., Li, H. N., Pang, G., … & Wang, J. G. (2021). The combination of electroacupuncture and massage therapy alleviates myofibroblast transdifferentiation and extracellular matrix production in blunt trauma-induced skeletal muscle fibrosis. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2021https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/5543468