The urban gym myth that massage reduces gym-induced muscle soreness has won the blessing of science.
The University of Illinois researchers found that pain disappeared within 90 minutes with massage compared to 24 hours-plus without.
The gist is that the Swedish-style rubdown improved general blood flow (a blood traffic jam is partly to blame for the pain). It also appeared to elicit a vascular response that may protect against soreness on subsequent training days.
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