Any one of Off-Season’s patients can tell you that one thing that continually sets us apart from the other clinics in the area is our dedication to manual care. Whether on the physical therapy, massage, or chiropractic table, we believe each patient should receive this essential part of treatment.

A recent study, published in Science Translational Medicine, has shown that this manual care not only makes you feel better, it actually helps your muscles to heal faster.

Dr. Bramble’s hands on care

Manual muscle work and massage cause the body to increase the activity of mitochondria in massaged muscles and naturally decreases inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor–α (TNF-α), one of the byproducts that causes pain in injured or exercised muscle.

Whether your soreness is from a surgery, sports injury, or a particularly hard workout, it can be debilitating. Depending on severity, soreness can inhibit further activity, promote sedentary time, or lead to NSAID use (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). The problem with these solutions is that they all reduce the effectiveness of recovery… If you avoid activity during times of soreness your muscles won’t change as fast as they are able, thus prolonging the duration of recovery. Use of anti-inflammatory drugs can inhibit the natural process of muscle repair by inhibiting the chemical pathways of recovery.

The take home message of this study is that a manual muscle work may be one of the most effective methods to combat muscle soreness. It is a natural way to combat the pain, doesn’t interfere with the natural healing mechanisms of the muscle and actually increases the rate of recovery.

Everyone at Off-Season has always held a firm belief that muscle work is an important component of treatment, and this study gives credence to that belief. So next time you have a big workout planned why not schedule a physical therapy appointment, massage or chiropractic the next day. You’ll be happy you did.
In Health- Dr. Adam Bramble