You shouldn't think that massage has become popular only in recent years: people have been rubbing their backs or legs for at least 5 thousand years.
This activity is certainly enjoyable, but what do doctors think about it?
What are the benefits of massage?
Scientists have been able to prove that massage can really reduce pain and relieve muscle tension.
The procedure also lowers heart rate and blood pressure and helps combat symptoms of anxiety, fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis.
If you're training hard, massage is your friend: According to a 2008 study, muscles that were massaged regained 60% of their strength after four days. Those that weren't were able to do so by only 14%.
It was also found that the muscles that were rubbed had fewer damaged fibers and signs of inflammation compared to those that were left without this procedure.
Perhaps this fact holds the answer to the question of the reasons for their rapid recovery.
Researchers have not been able to determine what exactly happens after massage at the cellular level, but at McMaster University in Ontario, they are convinced that massage after physical activity promotes the production of energy-generating structures - mitochondria - and reduces the level of inflammatory proteins.
