Massage Therapy and the Lactic Acid Myth
Massage therapy is an excellent way to relax and rehabilitate, but removal of lactic acid has nothing to do with it. There has even been a study that suggests that massage can impede the metabolism of lactic acid, but that’s not a reason to forgo massage; In fact, lactic acid (or lactate as it is called once the body breaks it into lactate + hydrogen) has been shown to act as a source of fuel for the body, so there’s no need for massage therapists to worry about “flushing” it from our systems.
There are a number of studies that show lactate isn’t such a bad metabolite after all, with evidence demonstrating that lactate provides more energy for muscle contractions, fuel for the brain and heart, and glucose for the liver. All these years massage therapists have been touting the detrimental effects of lactic acid build-up and the need for a detoxifying massage. Lactic acid isn’t even responsible for the delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) that occurs a day or so post workout since we now know that it is metabolized very quickly. Lactic acid is generally long gone by the time you start feeling DOMS, so it is not the culprit.
What is causing this post workout pain? More current research points to small microscopic tears and resulting inflammation in the muscles as the real cause of DOMS. The pain we feel the following few days after a strenuous workout is a result of this microtrauma. Research also shows that lactate hampers that burning sensation and muscle fatigue, during a workout and immediately afterwards, instead of causing it as was previously thought.
The idea that massage is flushing lactic acid out of muscles is a common misconception that has been propagated time and again through various massage, health, and fitness articles. Let’s set the record straight: Lactate has increasingly been shown to have a beneficial role to play in our body’s reaction to physical strain on the body. As massage therapists we neither want, nor are able, to interfere with metabolic waste removal.
Massage therapy is a wonderful healthcare modality that can help alleviate musculoskeletal pain and discomfort, but let’s be careful and keep up to date with current research before we try to educate our clients with false ideas of toxicity!
