In this article, I'm going to talk about post-workout recovery myths.
In another article, I wrote about the lies and truths of post-workout recovery, and this article is a continuation of that.
Icing
Icing was included in the RICE procedure in the sports medicine book in 1978, which led to the common practice of icing for recovery.The purpose of this method is to promote healing by preventing the delivery of inflammatory cells and blood to the affected area, and it is also used for joint sprains and shoulder pain.
Why is this theoretically explained method a myth? I wondered.
By cooling the affected area with icing, the body's sympathetic nerve fibers are stimulated and blood vessels constrict, inhibiting blood flow to the affected area, thus stopping the inflammatory response.This, in turn, suppresses metabolic functions, which in turn suppresses swelling.
That is the rationale behind this theory.
However, there is no doubt that this behavior helps in the process of pain reduction, but some say that it may also delay the self-healing of the muscles since it lowers the immune function. Some say that this may delay the self-healing process of the muscles because of the lowered immune system.This is similar to the thing that reduces the inflammatory response to cold syndrome.
It seems to be explained theoretically, but it is just following the benefits from one direction and not looking at the other side, which results in delaying muscle recovery while helping to reduce pain.More and more people are now thinking that icing is only useful if it is done for a short period of time between rest and a quick return to exercise.On a related note, there is something called cryotherapy, which also has a ton of theory, and although it seems to be effective at first glance, the theory ignores the homeostasis of the body.
Icing has been a popular method of recovering from fatigue for a certain period of time, and I suspect that it is a method that will gradually fall into disuse, including the placebo effect of those who like its effects. It seems to be a method that will gradually become obsolete.
Massage
This is one of the methods aimed at improving blood flow, and the goal of most recovery methods is also to improve blood flow.
In some cases, they focus on lactic acid, which is said to be a pain-causing substance, but it has been announced that lactic acid is not one of these substances.
According to the report, lactic acid can be used to provide energy for muscles and also to renew mitochondria, which are organelles in cells.The increase in lactic acid in the blood after exercise has drawn attention to its relation to fatigue, but lactic acid itself disappears within an hour.Returning to the point of improving blood flow, some people think that it is better to warm up the body in order to further promote the increase in blood flow during the process of exercise.
As it turns out, there is no evidence that warmth itself is helpful for recovery, but there was a time when far-infrared-related therapies were popular.It is sometimes used in conjunction with massage therapy, but these too have not been shown to activate the physiological function of the body to remove lactic acid, and if athletes feel good about these methods, there are other factors at play.Some thought that massage stimulates protein synthesis in muscle repair, but this is theoretical but unproven.And the problem with massage is that many people think that the more painful it is, the more effective it is.
A massage that is too deep and intense can cause a condition called "PMSM.
Some people explain that toxins are being expelled, but this is horseshit and can damage the muscles and cause them to expel waste products.There have been cases of rhabdomyolysis caused by overly strong massages, so the ideal massage should be moderately strong.If the massage itself has any effect, it is probably psychological. It has been speculated that it is psychological.
As for the "myofascial peeling" that is done with foam rollers and the like, it is theoretical but unproven, so it is hard to say.
Supplements
There are many supplements on the market for recovery from fatigue and muscle strengthening, but do they actually have such effects? Many people wonder if they actually do.The reason why athletes take supplements is not because they are worried that they are not getting enough nutrients, or because they want to look like a superhero! or a desire to be like a superhero! In other words, it is a legal doping.
In other words, not a few people are trying to dope legally.
Despite the lack of sufficient evidence, athletes tend to take supplements because their rivals are taking them.In fact, few people have actually experienced the benefits of supplements, and some even say that they improved their mood more than they expected.
When supplements are said to be scientifically successful, it is even speculated that it is in the field of marketing.Athletes, coaches, and others who are looking for magical effects have reported various damages and even doping risks because of the supplements that may fulfill these desires, and they can't stop the supplements. And so on.There have been experiments where supplements have been studied, but due to various reasons such as funding sources and darkness in the publication of academic journals, the effects claimed in advertisements have not been confirmed in many cases.
Since there are so many different types of supplements, I won't review the rationale behind each one, but overall, the reasons why athletes seek out supplements are discussed in this way, and I was convinced that they have a point.
Conclusion
I've discussed the lies and truths about icing, massage, and supplements, but it seems to me that there are more strategies on the part of companies than the methods themselves.One thing I think is that the psychological aspect of human recovery cannot be ignored, so it is important to provide what is desired.
However, there are also many people who are looking for "magic" in most of the recovery methods, and we need to be careful not to offer something useless by using them skillfully when offering them.
