Massage

Release the toxins!. When muscles are tight and not soft and pliant as they should be, toxins build up in the trapped tissue. The primary one is lactic acid (which causes the burning pain after strenuous exercise), which is normally, over time, filtered out of the muscles and out of the body. Lance Armstrong was tested and his body produces very low amounts of lactic acid so he is able to push his body for extended periods of time, more than the rest of us. But for the rest of us, we feel pain and stiffness the more we exercise and don't stretch, relax or get massages.

Other things can build up too like cellular debris, viruses and bacteria. Some people actually catch a cold after a massage because something was left dormant too long in their muscle tissue.

Not to say you should be afraid of getting a massage but they longer you wait between, you may have more stiffness and pain after the massage. The best thing to do is to stretch regularly, drink a lot of water or weak green tea before and after a massage and use moist heat on stiff muscles. Avoid drinking alcohol before your massage as well.

The best type of massage for releasing lactic acid and other toxins is petrisage, the kneading and squeezing strokes. Deep tissue, if done properly, is good for reducing trigger points but can cause pain or bruising if done too hard. A good masseuse will know if it's too much pressure.

Releasing the toxins is good. That's great advice. Thanks. I have to say, I am fascinated at the idea that all sorts of things can lie dormant in our muscles. I guess that's why we feel so much better after getting on a steady routine of working out. I've noticed that whenever I stop for an extended period of time and start up again, I would either catch a cold or feel really, really sore so this information will make me even more committed to not getting lazy on my workout. I've been going strong for awhile and have not felt sore muscles that often. I'm thinking the masseuse must have gotten in there pretty deep to draw stuff up - that's why I avoid the deep tissue massage :) but your advice about green tea and the like will come in very handy. Thanks!

Carrie explained it very well, the only thing I would like to add would be to Bold Type her last statement. It does come down to a therapist having the knowledge and understanding to make any technique work properly.

 

If you could imagine how many cells are in your body, and each one of them is a little home with a driveway on a street.  And Everyday they place several bags of trash (cellular waste and metabolic byproducts) out on their curb (lymphatic system/intracellular tissues). When a body is stagnant, ie. doesn't move or do fitness/stretching regularly,  The trash sits, piles and becomes toxic. (actually the cause of cellular aging and disease, which leads to cell death, which is the cause for cellular aging).  The trash trucks (lymphatic system) can only run off gasoline(voluntary muscle contraction/fitness) and the more trash there is in the road (cellular waste),  the slower this process goes and the harder it is to clean/pick up the mess.  So as the saying goes.  if you don't move it, you lose it.  Also,  We don't die by natural causes.  We majorly age and die, b/c overtime we putrify in our wastes. Different bodily tissues ie. bone/muscle that breakdown/putrify become rigid or brittle and therefore are weakened. This is no different for your muscle fibers/tissue.  You can also think of when you mop the floor, Your muscle fibers being similar to the mop fibers.  They hold in lots of sludge/dirt.  When you wring out the mop (which is what fitness is doing by expanding a muscle within a chamber, call it your fascia/skin) all the sludge comes out into the bucket(your bloodstream and lymphatic system - the latter being your waste disposal system which starts as all the space between the cells and then forms creeks and streams and rivers back to your heart, with little waste cleaning plants along the way called lymph nodes.  It is this sludge that needs to be removed or it will sit and settle back in the tissues after fitness or massage, leading to the feelings expressed in this blogg.  And as CLR states,   water and stretching and frequent exercise and massage is the answer.  and It is a beautiful thing. 

On to the reason why these bodies of ours are so beautiful and this all can go on under radar..b/c we are made to find balance even in imbalance. and our minds and bodies are far beyond our comprehension of how perfectly they were created.  So, that they can with stand so many stresses and still flourish.  But I think there is always room to enlighten the load.

 blessings

Matthew 

divinescence.com 

The best thing to make sure that you don't have any soreness--make sure that the pressure isn't too much, but also make sure that you are drinking enough water afterwards to filter out those toxins. I have found that hot tea assists a little better in addition to water, but make sure you are taking in a few extra glasses of water. I hope that you are able to enjoy your massage experience a little better. ~Sam~  myspace.com/healing_gal95

Hi there, I am a massage therapist. the toxins released are latic acid and metabolic waist. Depeding on what type of massage and the condition of your body, massage can hurt. Especially deep tissue work. I f the massage therapist warms up the tissue, moves slowly, with your bodies rythem, sinking deeper and deeper to the belly of the muscle then tou will not hurt. Now, many therapist work too fast too deeply causing pain. Massage therapy should not hurt though. Some times " hurt so good" pain is necessary.

   What you can do to control the pain is drink alot of water before the treatment. this loosens up the soft tissues so the therapist can use an easier less invasive modality to treat your body.  After the session drink more water, rule of thumb, twice as much water as you usually drink in a day.  If you experiance pain your body is dehydrated. drink more water. Water and stetches are the two keys to aliviate the pain. Ask your terapist about a stretching routine you can do at home or contact me. johngoldenlmt@bellsouth.net 770-361-6232 

                                                                     Take care,  John Golden, L.M.T