Has anyone ever gotten a massage and ended up feeling muscle soreness for the next couple of days? Have you ever wondered why you are sore after getting a very relaxing massage? There may be a number of causes, but one of them that you can blame may be due to lactic acid. Most of the muscles are made of tissue and red blood cells, so when oxygen levels in the body in normal, carbohydrate breaks down into water and carbon dioxide. When oxygen levels are low, carbohydrate breaks down for energy and from there it makes lactic acid. This lactic acid can cause your muscles to get sore.
Lactic acid levels get higher when doing strenuous exercises or other conditions, such as heart failure, a severe infection, or a shock-lower the flow of blood and oxygen throughout the body. Dr. Michael Pritsker, a chiropractor had this to say on the subject: “If your muscles have built up lactic acid due to strenuous exercise or for some other reason, then getting a massage can cause some soreness as you massage out the lactic acid.”
Being sore after a massage or a workout isn’t always a bad thing, so if you do not work out often and you get a massage there is no need to be concerned after a massage. The chances of you being sore are pretty high if you don’t work out often as well. The ways to reduce lactic acid levels in your body is to drink plenty of water and fluid. Drink 8-16 ounces before your workout and 8 ounces of water for every 20 minutes that you work out. Make sure you breathe correctly as well. You should breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Exercise several times a week but be sure to be cautious when lifting weights. Lifting weights tends to promote lactic acid in your body due to the oxygen levels when lifting weights, so decrease the intensity when you feel the burn. Stretching before and after your workout and remain active. You can also reduce lactic acid levels by eating vegetables with magnesium and food high in fatty acids like tuna, salmon, and mackerel.
So don’t be too concerned if you’re sore after your massage. Look into some of the things that me be causing the soreness. Consider lack of exercise, too much exercise, vitamin deficiencies that may cause your skin to bruise, and much more that may cause bruising after a massage.