VIEWPOINT FROM CLINICAL PRACTICE take place . Unfortunately , these days many people are dealing with chronic unrelenting stress , which makes it hard for them to get enough ‘ rest and recovery ’ time .
Faster healing requires control of stress in the recovery phase
When you work hard , exercise hard and punish your muscles , they seem to retaliate with their own backlash of pain during the recovery phase . This is because the excessive muscle contractions and repetitive stresses cause micro-damage to muscle fibre cells that subsequently need to be repaired . The body usually recovers well from moderate exercise , and rebuilds itself stronger , but we can also overdo the exercise and cause damage that doesn ’ t easily heal . The trick is to get the balance right .
The immune system is activated when we have any kind of tissue damage . This can be from exercise stress , or the stress of chemicals and acidic by-products . White blood cells move in to remove wastes and pathogens that may also be present . This is the inflammation response of swelling and pain . The white cells , acids and debris need to be neutralised and cleared quickly after their job is done , so as to avoid too much agony in the repair process . Ph balance needs to be restored . This cleansing and repair process requires adenosine triphosphate ( ATP ) production by mitochondria , which need magnesium to make ATP .
If pain levels get too high , stress hormones don ' t subside , which then inhibits the healing process . A downward stress spiral can develop . Magnesium , however , can subdue stress hormones and calm the nervous system , thereby also having a calming effect on inflammation . 3
When magnesium is deficient metabolism slows , and so the clean-up and repair processes also slow down . Inflammation keeps simmering and acid conditions prevail , as the body keeps trying to rev up enough energy for healing , but can ' t seem to get over the line because not all the right ingredients are available for the job . 4 The detox process and building of new cells requires extra antioxidant nutritional support to help re-balance cell pH , including oxygen delivery , hydration , electrolyte replacement , and especially a lot of magnesium .
The great benefit of gentle massage pressure for recovery is that it stimulates blood and lymph circulation . The blood delivers oxygen and nutrients to stoke the fires of metabolism and regeneration , and the lymph works as our protein waste disposal system ( i . e ., as a sewerage system ). Because the lymph system doesn ’ t have its own pump ( like the heart for blood circulation ), waste disposal via lymph relies on mechanical movement of muscles , fascia and ligaments , predominantly in limbs , as well as via pressure to skin . If you are bed-ridden it may be even more important to use massage to nudge the detox and elimination system , and thereby improve recovery time . A 2021 study 5 showed that pressure and cyclic compression of the affected muscle areas , as in massage of tight sore muscles , sped up the recovery process by clearing out the white blood cells faster .
“ Cyclic compressive loading within a specific range of forces substantially improves functional recovery of severely injured muscle in mice . This improvement is attributable in part to rapid clearance of neutrophil populations and neutrophil-mediated factors , which otherwise may impede myogenesis *.” (* Myogenesis is the formation of skeletal muscular tissue ).
Not only can wastes be removed faster with massage , but another study from the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 6 found that cell regeneration , muscle strength and your quick sense of muscle position in movement also improves . This demonstrates that the nerve conduction super-highways may be enhanced by massage , and may be important for athletes and those doing martial arts . However , it was noted that less than 15 minutes was not as effective as a longer session .
Magnesium relaxes cramps and restless legs
Magnesium is particularly important in the detox and repair of tissue cells because of its primary role in mitochondrial production of ATP . ATP is our electrical energy currency that underpins metabolism and drives the detox , immune and cell-building systems .
Magnesium also influences calcium uptake . If magnesium gets too low , calcium can become a bully , with free calcium leaching out of the bones and settling in soft tissue and joints to cause stiffening and strain of muscles and joints . Magnesium , via parathyroid regulation , 7 helps calcium to move into bones instead of carrying it to places where it shouldn ’ t be , such as excessively depositing it in the soft tissue , blood and tubules of the body . Too much free calcium in the body is called hypercalcaemia . As magnesium is a calcium antagonist , it can play a vital role in calcium homeostasis .
Calcium ’ s primary role is muscle contraction and firing neurons . During the recovery phase calcium is quickly depleted by magnesium . If not enough magnesium is available , over-firing of neutrons or excessive cramping and twitching of muscles can occur . Or you may have a restless feeling , as if there were ants in your pants and you can ’ t sit still . Leg muscles may spasm at night or you may have a crawling sensation commonly referred to as restless leg syndrome .
Muscles may feel like rocks when there is too much calcium and not enough magnesium , and be unable to relax or allow proper blood circulation . The whole muscle electrical conduction system can be affected . Repetitive stress injuries like tennis elbow and
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