Getting a massage is one of life’s little pleasures. However, the specific physiological benefits that you get from a massage now appear a little more dubious than some massage therapists would have you believe.
The theory that massage “increases blood flow, and assists in removal of lactic acid” always seemed plausible to me. To read research saying that massage actually impairs blood flow after exercise was more than a little of a shock.
And so should you avoid massage post exercise? I think not. I would not be surprised if in the future science proves that the psychological benefit massage brings far outweighs any small decrease in blood flow that it may cause.
It just means all the massage therapists out there are going to have to come up with some other spin line!
