Are body rubs good for muscle recovery?
When you are exercising, even if it’s a gentle exercise like walking, your muscles are working hard enough to make them sore. The named phenomenon is delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). It happens when you’ve done something that you’re not used to doing or that puts a new strain on your muscles.
Body rubs are good for recovery after any kind of strenuous activity because they can help you relax your muscles and ease the pain. They’ll also reduce cramps caused by too much build-up of lactic acid which has been known to occur after strenuous periods of exercise. If you massage properly, within 15 minutes of removing yourself from an intense workout session, the body rubs will help shorten the time it takes for your muscles to recover.
However, there are a few conditions that may prevent you from getting a good body rub. You should avoid them if you have an open wound or infection on your back where the rubbing will be taking place, blood pressure problems and circulatory issues. In addition, because of how much pain they can inflict if not administered correctly, people who have cancer should also give themselves a pass when it comes to getting body rubs to aid muscle recovery.
Also, women who are pregnant shouldn’t allow their partners to massage them with strong hands because the baby will absorb any roughness. If due to health reasons or otherwise you aren’t able to receive body rubs after exercising, you should at least try to give yourself a gentle rub down with massage oils or lotions. Massaging your muscles will definitely ease any pain you feel and it will loosen them up so they aren’t as sore the next time you work out. If you are worried about DOMS, consider doing some warm-up exercises before your strenuous activity begins and take frequent breaks during it for your muscles to rest.
If you suffer from chronic muscle aches, taking an over-the-counter painkiller like ibuprofen can help reduce inflammation. Overuse of ibuprofen can cause liver damage but it’s unlikely that body rubs will cause this because there is typically only one person administering them, not many like there would be in a pharmacological product.
However, if these physical remedies don’t work for you or they aren’t possible to undertake because of other conditions, don’t rule out medical assistance just yet. Your doctor may prescribe anti-inflammatory medication like ibuprofen which can help you reduce your discomfort level and allow your muscles to recover more quickly so that you can get back to working out.
Summary: Are body rubs good for muscle recovery? Yes, especially since the type of rubbing is meant to Adult massage Adelaide away pain and not cause it by digging deep into the muscle tissues with hard objects like needles. The rubbing done during body rubs is also gentler than what’s administered during other forms of treatment like acupuncture.
However, if you have the mentioned conditions, body rub is not the remedy for you!