Restorative massage. Leg massage after a fracture Massage for muscle recovery

With muscle atrophy, their tissue weakens and decreases in volume. Muscle atrophy can happen as a result of inactivity, poor nutrition, illness or injury. In most cases, it is possible to strengthen atrophied muscles through special exercises, diet and lifestyle changes.

Steps

Part 1

Learn what muscle wasting means. Muscular atrophy is a medical term that describes the reduction and loss of muscle volume in a particular area of ​​the body.

Learn more about dysfunctional atrophy (disuse atrophy), which is the leading cause of muscle wasting. Muscles can atrophy because they are not used at all or are used very rarely, causing muscle tissue to degrade, shrink and become damaged. This usually occurs as a result of injury, a sedentary lifestyle, or an illness that prevents certain muscles from working.

• Dysfunctional muscle atrophy can develop as a result of extremely poor nutrition. For example, muscle tissue can atrophy and disappear in prisoners of war and people suffering from eating disorders such as anorexia.
• This type of muscle atrophy can also be observed in people who have sedentary jobs, as well as in those who are physically inactive.
• Severe injuries, such as damage to the spine or brain, can leave a person bedridden and develop muscle wasting as a result. Even less severe injuries, such as a broken bone or torn ligament, can limit mobility and also cause dysfunctional muscle atrophy.
• Diseases that limit a person's ability to exercise and be active include rheumatoid arthritis, which causes inflammation of the joints, and osteoarthritis, which weakens the bones. With these diseases, movements are often accompanied by a feeling of discomfort, pain, or even become impossible, which leads to muscle atrophy.
• In many cases, dysfunctional muscle atrophy can be eliminated by strengthening and building muscles by increasing physical activity.

1. Learn about the causes of neurogenic atrophy. Neurogenic muscle atrophy occurs as a result of disease or damage to the nerves in the muscles. Although this type of atrophy is less common than dysfunctional atrophy, it is more difficult to treat because in many cases it cannot be eliminated simply by increasing the load on the muscles. The following diseases often lead to neurogenic atrophy:

   Recognize the symptoms of muscle atrophy. It is important to identify the symptoms of muscle atrophy as early as possible in order to immediately begin to eliminate it. The main symptoms include the following:

   • Muscle weakness, decrease in volume.
   • The skin surrounding the affected muscles appears loose and hanging.
   • Activities such as lifting objects, moving the atrophied area, and exercising may be difficult, although this has not previously been a problem.
   • Pain in the affected area.
   • Back pain and difficulty walking.
   • Feeling of stiffness and heaviness in the damaged area.
   • It can be difficult for a person without medical education to identify the symptoms of neurogenic atrophy. The most obvious symptoms of this type of atrophy include stooped posture, stiff spine, and limited neck mobility.

2. If you think you have muscle wasting, seek medical help. If you suspect muscle atrophy, try to consult your doctor without delay. He will be able to identify the causes, make the correct diagnosis and prescribe appropriate treatment.

   Seek help from other professionals. Depending on the cause of muscle wasting, your doctor may recommend that you see a physical therapist, nutritionist, or personal trainer who can help you improve your condition through specific exercises, diet, and lifestyle changes.

   Find personal trainer or a physical therapist. While you can do some exercises on your own to try to stop muscle wasting, it's best to do them under the guidance of a qualified instructor or trainer to make sure you're doing it right.

   • The trainer will begin by assessing your physical condition and then teach you special exercises, allowing you to strengthen and build muscles in the atrophied area. He will evaluate the effectiveness of the training and, if necessary, adjust it.

3. Start with light loads and gradually increase intensity. Since most people with atrophied muscles begin exercise after a long period of inactivity, you should start with light loads. Remember that your body is not as strong as it was before atrophy.

   Start with aquatic exercises or rehabilitation in an aquatic environment. Patients recovering from muscle atrophy are often advised to swim and water exercises, since this type of exercise helps reduce muscle pain, quickly tone atrophied muscles, restore muscle memory and relax damaged muscles. While these exercises are best done under the guidance of a professional, below are a few basic steps to get you started.

4. Walk around the pool. After entering the water up to your waist, try walking in it for 10 minutes. This safe exercise helps develop the muscles of the lower body.

   • Increase the duration and depth over time.
   • You can also use an inflatable ring, paddle, or water dumbbells for more water resistance. These devices will help you strengthen your core and upper body muscles.

5. Perform knee raises in the pool. Lean your back against the wall of the pool with both feet on the bottom. Then lift one leg, bending it at the knee as if you were marching in place. Raising your knee to the level of your pelvis, straighten your leg, stretching it forward.

   • Do the exercise 10 times, then repeat it, changing legs.
   • Over time, increase the number of repetitions.

6. Do push-ups in water. Facing the wall of the pool, place your hands on the edge, keeping them shoulder-width apart. Raise yourself up on your hands, sticking out about halfway out of the water. Hold this position for a few seconds, then lower yourself back into the water.

   • In more easy version For this exercise, place your hands on the edge of the pool, spreading them shoulder-width apart. Then, bending your elbows, lean towards the wall of the pool.

7. Go to exercises with own weight. As you progress, add bodyweight exercises to your workouts on the ground.

   • Beginners can start with 8-12 repetitions of the exercises below. These exercises target the development of major muscle groups.
   • To strengthen atrophied muscles, do these exercises three times a week.

8. Learn do squats . To do this, stand straight with your arms extended in front of you. Gently and slowly bend your knees, as if sitting on an imaginary chair. After holding this position for a few seconds, straighten your legs, returning to the starting position.

   • Keep your balance on your heels and make sure your knees don't go forward past your toes.

9. Follow squats with lunge on one leg . To do this, stand straight with your hands on your hips. Pull your stomach in.

   • Take a wide step forward with your right foot. Keep your back straight while doing this. Lift your heel, resting your toe on the floor.
   • Simultaneously bend both knees at an angle of 90 degrees. You can control your posture by watching yourself in the mirror.
   • Lower your heel to the floor and straighten up. Return to the starting position by pulling your right leg back and repeat the exercise with your left leg.
   • Remember to keep your back straight.

10. Try dips to train your triceps. Use a stable bench or chair for this. Sit on a bench or chair and rest your hands on the edges, spreading them shoulder-width apart.

    • With your legs stretched out in front of you, slowly slide forward, leaning on your hands. Straighten your arms so that the main load falls on the triceps.
    • Gently bend your elbows, keeping your back close to the bench. As you lower down, hold the edges of the bench firmly with your hands.

11. Follow basic exercises for abdominal muscles . To do this, lie on your back on a mat or rug. Without lifting your feet off the floor, bend your knees.

    • In this case, you can cross your arms over your chest, or put them behind your neck or head. Try to lift your shoulders up, tensing your muscles abdominals.
    • Hold this position for a few seconds, then lower yourself onto your back and repeat the exercise.

12. Try weight-bearing exercises. Use expanders or strength training equipment for this. These exercises should only be started after you have successfully mastered the bodyweight exercises above. Also try to find out which weight-bearing exercises help strengthen the muscle group you need.

    • The bench press can be performed with expanders. Lying with your back on a bench, stretch the expanders in front of you, as if lifting dumbbells up.
    • Start with lighter resistance bands. Once you feel that the exercise is quite easy for you, change the expander to a heavier one. This way you can gradually increase the load.

13. Incorporate aerobic exercise into your workouts. Supplement the above exercises with aerobic exercises, which also help strengthen atrophied muscles. Try to do regular walking and other cardio exercises.

    • Start with a 10-15 minute walk every day. Gradually increasing the speed, bring the duration of the walk to 30 minutes, after which you can move on to daily jogging.

14. Do not forget stretch muscles . After each session, stretch your muscles to increase their range of motion. Dedicate 5-10 minutes to stretching your muscles after each workout. You can do muscle stretching separately from training.

    • Try to stretch all major muscle groups, spending 15-30 seconds on each.
    • Start by stretching your back and upper body. Then move on to the muscles of the neck, forearms, wrists and triceps. Don't forget about the muscles of the chest, abdomen and buttocks. After this, work on the muscles of your thighs, ankles and feet.

15. Master some special stretches. Below are some exercises to stretch specific muscle groups.

    • Neck stretch. Tilt your head forward and, stretching your neck, move it left, right, back and forward again. Do not roll your head in a circle as this is unsafe.
    • Shoulder stretch. Put left hand on the chest. Grasp her forearm with your right hand. Pull it until you feel a stretch in your left shoulder. Press your left arm in the opposite direction, squeezing your shoulder muscles. Do the same with your right hand.
    • Triceps stretch. Lift up right hand. Bend it at the elbow, bring it back, reaching the area between the shoulder blades. Place your left hand on your right elbow and pull it towards your head.
    • Wrist stretch. Extend your arm forward and pull your palm back slightly, grasping it with your other hand. Repeat the same with the palm of your other hand.
    • Knee stretching. Sit cross-legged. Extend one leg in front of you and try to reach your foot, holding it for a few seconds. Return to the starting position and repeat the exercise with the other leg.
    • Lumbar stretch. Lie on your back. Bend one leg at the knee and lift it towards your chest. Repeat the exercise with the second leg.
    • Leg stretching. Lie on your back and extend both legs up. With your hands on the back of your thighs, pull your legs toward your face.

Muscular system human body needs constant training, since only in movement the cells of tissues and organs receive a sufficient amount of oxygen and nutrients. In the absence of movement, their supply suffers, and cells begin to die. This process manifests itself in muscle atrophy.

As clear example may result in a fracture of one or both lower extremities. This serious injury, requiring rehabilitation measures, which necessarily include leg massage after a fracture.

Main goals

Treatment for a broken leg involves applying a plaster cast and a tension system. As a result of injury and restriction of movement due to the cast, motor activity is reduced several times. The result is gradual atrophy of muscle fibers.

To prevent its development, you should perform a special foot massage. Simple massage movements can achieve amazing results and keep the musculoskeletal system in “decent shape.”

The main objectives of massage after a fracture are as follows:

• elimination of vascular disorders, lymphostasis and muscle atrophy;
• promotion muscle tone and elasticity of the ligamentous apparatus;
• improved mobility in joints;
• elimination of pain and congestion.

Important! After all the goals have been achieved, it is necessary to increase motor activity through a set of special gymnastic exercises And physical therapy.

Carrying out a massage is a rather lengthy process. The procedure requires some patience, but complete completion of the course will result in the mobility of the damaged leg being fully restored.

In addition to massage, you need to attend physical therapy, eat right, lead a healthy lifestyle and get enough sleep.

Presence of contraindications

The procedure of massaging the legs after a fracture may not be carried out in all patients. There are a number of medical contraindications to it, which include:

• open fractures;
• acute infection;
• high body temperature;
• exacerbation of chronic diseases;
• the presence of serious pathology of the cardiovascular system;
• diseases skin in acute form.

Proper massage

Doctors do not prohibit doing massage yourself at home, but it is recommended to carry out the first few procedures with a professional massage therapist. The specialist will show the basic movements, their strength and frequency, and warn against unnecessary mistakes.

Important! It is necessary to massage not only the sore limb, but also the healthy one. This will allow you to maintain the full functioning of both limbs and shorten the rehabilitation period after removing the cast by several times.

Performing massage movements directly under the cast is necessary to increase blood flow. It is enough to perform the following manipulations:

• apply slight pressure on open areas between the cast and the leg;
• “tap” lightly on the plaster cast;
• stretch your leg near the cast.

You can ask to make small holes in the plaster cast, through which, using a regular stick, you can apply slight pressure on the leg as a massage. This will be enough to maintain normal blood flow and tissue nutrition. But it is recommended to perform such manipulations a couple of weeks after applying the bandage.

Another way is to use a long cylindrical knitting needle made of natural material. It should have a rounded blunt end to prevent damage to the skin. It is necessary to massage the areas between the leg and the cast. The needle easily penetrates the closed areas of the leg and easily increases blood supply.

Simple moves

In case of a fracture, doctors recommend starting massage on the third or fifth day after applying a plaster cast. Enough to do massage exercises within five minutes to achieve positive effect. All techniques should be done moving in opposite directions from the bandage. There should not be any pain.

As an example, we can take the following massage complex:

1. Perform stroking and rubbing. Places of execution - open areas before and after the plaster cast. To begin with, you should perform a few soft strokes, followed by more intense rubbing. Then you can alternate them.
2. Do kneading exercises. Such massage movements are not recommended in the first days after the break, but after a few days they will lead to a significant improvement in the condition of the muscles under the cast. Kneading should be done using fingers, palms and fists, simulating the procedure of kneading dough.
3. Vibrating movements. The final stage. Simply patting the surface of the legs with your palms or the edges of your palms is enough. Patting on the cast is not excluded.

Prevention of edema

Often after an injury and because of the plaster cast, the leg begins to swell. Massage is great for relieving swelling. In addition to this, you can make baths with medicinal herbs or sea ​​salt. 100 grams of salt per liter of water is enough for the bath to have its therapeutic effect and the swelling to subside.

Self-massage procedures with cedar oil also help greatly. If the latter is not available, then you can take any other. It is necessary to make gentle stroking movements from the fracture site up and down to increase blood circulation and improve lymph flow.

A good way to prevent swelling is to wear comfortable shoes with orthopedic insole or walking around without shoes at all. When a massage is performed to eliminate swelling after removing the plaster, painful sensations often occur. To get rid of them, you can use a special ointment with an analgesic effect (Ketorol, Nise).

Other recovery methods

To complete rehabilitation after a leg massage, it is recommended to perform physical therapy exercises. They should be done after appropriate warming up of the muscles.

One of the most simple exercises- normal walking. It is enough to walk a few meters every day with little emphasis on the sore leg so that the muscles receive the necessary amount of oxygen and nutrition.

Rotational movements of the lower limb have proven themselves well. But they should be performed only ten days after the plaster is removed. Alternate leg lifts will help provide the necessary muscle load. To do this, just briefly raise your straightened leg up and hold it in this position for five to ten seconds. If pain occurs, the exercise should be stopped immediately.

Raising from heel to toe and back is very useful. In this case, you should hold onto a stable support with your hands, and stop if the slightest pain appears. From a lying position, you can do cross leg swings. With their help, almost all muscle groups in the legs are worked out.

Conclusion

Restoring a leg after a fracture is not easy, since it is necessary to return the limb to the state it was before the injury.

Full comprehensive program is developed by a specialist, and everything else depends on the patient himself. Not only the speed of recovery, but also the further full mobility of the limb depends on how accurately and fully a person follows all the instructions of the attending physician.

At first, all of the listed activities will be given with certain difficulties, but over time, the injured leg will no longer differ from the healthy one. Then you can start running, which will completely strengthen the musculoskeletal system and allow you to feel the fullness of life with all its colors.

Restorative massage– most effective method recovery of an athlete after training, competitions, as well as during the adaptation period after various injuries: dislocations, fractures, muscle damage, ligaments and tendon sprains.

Along with the complex psychological and physical training professional athletes, restorative massage perfectly contributes to a significant increase in athletic performance and maximum increasing efficiency. This type of massage is an important integral element sports training and allows the athlete without special effort return to normal activities.

For the most quick recovery body massage should be performed after active physical activity(various competitions and training).

Duration of the session, as well as the depth and intensity of the massage installed only by a massage therapist, taking into account the loads used by the athlete, the type of sport, the degree of muscle development and the general condition of the athlete.

Technique for performing restorative massage

Main goals performing a restorative massage:

• restore the overall performance of the body;
• eliminate the presence of pain;
• reduce fatigue;
• relieve excessive psychological and neuromuscular tension;
• quickly prepare the body for subsequent physical activity.

Attention! When performing a restorative massage, it is necessary to follow a strict sequence of actions. You need to start massage movements from the back, then you should work back surface legs, gradually move on to performing massage techniques chest, Then upper limbs and at the end of the session - the front surface of the legs.

Technique restorative massage:

• During the back massage As a rule, they use such different techniques as deep kneading and rubbing, intense muscle stretching and vibration.
• For a tangible effect During the preparatory part of a restorative back massage, the technique of stroking, rubbing and intensive kneading of the back muscles is mainly used. This part of the massage takes 2-3 minutes. The main part of the massage The predominant techniques are shifting, rubbing muscles, pressure, and point vibration; the time required to perform such manipulations is at least 10-15 minutes. The final part of the massage actions is performed using stroking, light rubbing and usually lasts 3-5 minutes.
• During chest massage applies effective technique flat stroking, intensive rubbing and kneading of the pectoral muscle area, gentle rubbing intercostal muscles, thoroughly kneading the diaphragm.
• Next is executed limb massage. Stroking movements in the joint area are performed with a pad thumb. Intense massage actions of the upper and lower extremities are also performed using the effective method of longitudinal-transverse kneading.

Attention! All restorative massage movements should be performed gently and painlessly, and you should definitely pay attention to carefully working out the muscle attachment points.

While participating in competitions(cycling, Athletics, swimming, etc.) athletes, as a rule, experience a state of maximum physical activity, their muscles are in good shape, therefore, during the break between such active loads, stroking should be excluded from the techniques of regular restorative massage, since it significantly slows down the motor reaction and relaxes muscles.

In such cases recommended carry out double normal kneading of the muscles, squeezing them, intensive rubbing with both the fingertips and the base of the palm. After thoroughly kneading the muscles, light shaking should be done.

Restorative massage, performed during breaks between physical activities, is short: it is carried out within 7-15 minutes.

Mandatory conditions for massage

Start the procedure The main restorative massage is possible no earlier than 10-20 minutes after the end of physical activity: the athlete’s pulse and breathing must be normal.

Duration A total massage session averages about 40-60 minutes (depending on body weight). So, with a body weight of up to 60 kg, the duration of the massage session should not exceed 40 minutes, up to 75 kg - 50 minutes, and with a body weight of up to 100 kg, the massage session can last 60 minutes.

If the athlete's recovery occurs after injuries, it is recommended to use painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs during massage.

Most effective result A restorative massage can be achieved after various hydro procedures (swimming in the pool, warm shower) or a steam bath: the muscle tissue is in a relaxed state and is ready for various manipulations. If necessary, you can additionally use vibration or pneumatic massage.

As an effective adjuvant, it is regularly used in parallel with restorative massage. physiotherapeutic procedures(infrared, ultraviolet irradiation, etc.), autogenic training and oxygen breathing.

For the most effective recovery After active physical activity, a restorative massage procedure, if possible, should be carried out daily, at least twice a day.

The final stage After a restorative massage, relaxation procedures can be performed, aimed at improving blood flow and quickly activating metabolism.

Watch the video for a master class on sports rehabilitation massage for athletes:

Hello guys and girls. If you play sports, then you probably know the feeling when almost every muscle in your body hurts, when fatigue simply fills you from top to bottom. And this article is just about how to restore muscles with the help of home self-massage. This method is suitable not only for trainees, but also for everyone who needs to stretch their entire body.

About massage

You probably also know that best way To restore muscles after a workout is a massage. But not everyone has their own full-time massage therapist and the opportunity to challenging workout.

That's why I suggest you watch this video. You will learn how, with the help of simple and very inexpensive improvised means, you can deeply work out tired muscles.

Post-workout recovery is one of the important topics in your healthy way life. It is very important for every trainee to have a set of recovery procedures when you are tired or overtrained.

You can't just lie down if your muscles hurt after a workout. In order for the body to recover, it needs help.

It is good to do exercises from yoga, which stretches muscles and tendons well. However, it is also good to add massage to stretching; it is important to work out the fascia - this is such a white connective tissue. And the softer and more pliable it is, the younger and more mobile the body is.

With age, fascia becomes stiff and difficult, so it is imperative to stretch it.

How to massage these connective tissues?

For this we are suitable

• regular tennis balls
• ball - children's basketball or any other sports store- quite hard
• rolling pin for feet and
• yoga brick

If you have studied the Yamuna Zeik technique, then ball massage will be understandable to you.

How to restore muscles after training?

Let's show it using a ball massage as an example. Take a fairly hard ball. We lie on it with our thigh and begin to roll the ball with our thigh.

We roll the ball along the fascia, which you can’t reach in any other way.

It's the same with gluteal muscle. We put the ball under the buttock and roll on the ball, trying to reach the very deep muscles.

Then comes the lower back and spine.

Withers - we stand in a half-bridge and work on the withers and touch the delta a little.

Then we put the ball under the arm and lie on the ball a little.

And finally - the neck. We place the ball under the neck and make simple turns to the right and left. We are doing great work on the neck and part of the head.

Foot and calf massage

In order to stretch out stiffness after running or gym calves, it is very convenient to use a massage roller or rolling pin. Place the roller under your calf and roll it under your calves.

It is convenient to use a rolling pin for the same purposes.

To avoid problems with the feet, they also need to be massaged. A rolling pin or tennis ball.

Massage roller

In fact, in order to relieve tension from tired muscles, it is enough to have a massage roller at home. With its help you can stretch all the major muscles in your legs, back and chest.

Like in this video:

Do you remember? Use a foam roller after your workout and do some static stretching afterwards.

Well, that’s all about how to restore muscles after a workout. Good luck to you and high sporting achievements. And be sure to recover after your workout.

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When I entered massage school in 2001, I didn't think much about the science, much less any research. I first encountered science and research during my studies in anatomy and physiology classes, and only in 2006, when I started working on my doctoral dissertation, was I able to fully understand the depth and volume of scientific research material in the field of massage and manual therapy. I started studying a huge number of articles and other scientific works. I was particularly interested in the theoretical and mechanistic basis for the effectiveness of massage.

By the time I began my doctoral dissertation, a complete meta-analysis of all available studies in the field of massage and manual therapy, compiled by Christopher Moyer, was already freely available. First of all, I was surprised by the fact that many of the theoretical judgments that we studied at the institute almost never become the subject of modern scientific research. For example, I did not find any research on the topic of deactivation trigger points and Pfluger's law of symmetry. Since I was interested in studying these theoretical mechanisms of the effects of massage on the human body, most of my research was aimed specifically at previously overlooked theoretical constructs.

However, the possible degree of isolation and analysis of the mechanistic aspects of these theories in my and other clinical studies is relatively small. First of all, it is necessary to conduct a sufficient amount of fundamental research. Further in this article we will talk about a recent study, the subject of which is the correlation of the effect of massage on a living organism and Pfluger’s law of symmetry, or, as stated in the article, the “crossover effect”.

Pfluger's law of symmetry is a neurological law according to which, given a sufficiently intense level of stimulation, motor responses can be observed in similar muscles bilaterally. The study examined the effects of massage on tissue health in muscle atrophy and the potential of massage for muscle recovery.

The study, titled “The Use of Massage to Restore and Reshape Muscles in Animal Hindlimbs,” was published in the Journal of Physiology in January 2018.

In this study, work was carried out with animals undergoing treatment in veterinary clinics for injuries associated with muscle atrophy.

Because I believe that the results of this study can have an impact on the massage industry, I want to convey this information to all my colleagues and justify its value. In this article, I will briefly present the methodology of this study, the results, as well as how the results can be applied in practice and issues that require further discussion.

OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY AND RESULTS

As a substitute for massage, the study used a computer-controlled device that applied cyclic compression force. The limb of the animal, in which muscle atrophy was observed, was subjected to rhythmic massage with a pneumatically driven roller. The friction and compression forces were set manually via a computer. The need to use a special device was justified by the fact that for the purposes of the study, therapy had to be standardized as much as possible. The study was randomized and controlled. Only the calf muscles of the animals were studied. The limb was massaged on only one side of the body (only the right lower limb), provided that atrophy was observed in both limbs. All animals were of the same species.

32 animals were divided into two groups (eight in each group).

1. The first group included healthy animals without muscle atrophy.

2. In the second group of animals, muscular atrophy of the hind limbs was observed.

The second group was divided into subgroups

A) In the zero group, animals with muscular atrophy were temporarily not subjected to therapy.

B) In the first subgroup, animals with muscle atrophy were encouraged to engage in physical activity aimed at muscle recovery.

B) In the second group to physical exercise standardized massage was also included calf muscles in the form of cyclic compression force 3 times a week.

The experiment ended after 21 days. After the end of the experiment, the following tests were taken from the animals: blood test, calf muscle biopsy and bone marrow puncture of the femur.

Indicators of DNA, RNA and specific proteins were studied. Muscle volume, muscle composition and traces of intense muscle protein synthesis were also measured. All these data were also collected before the start of the study.

RESEARCH ANALYSIS

At the first stage of the study, scientists had to confirm the atrophy previously diagnosed by veterinarians in animals in the second group. Comparison muscle strength and volumes of the calf muscles of animals from the second group with healthy animals confirmed the presence of muscle atrophy. The cross-section of the calf muscles was reduced by 38 percent.

The first thing that surprised scientists was that the animals, which were physically very active, showed relatively low results in muscle recovery, tending to the levels of the zero group. However, in the group in which the animals also received massage, the animals showed a significant increase in the size of their calf muscles. Moreover, not only did the muscle subjected to the cyclic compression force increase in size, but so did the similar muscle on the other side of the body, indicating a crossover effect. This indicated that cyclic compression loading could stimulate muscle growth both directly (i.e. in the directly affected muscle) and contralaterally (in the same muscle on the other side of the body). Despite the fact that the cellular mechanism of this phenomenon has not yet been identified, the results of the study indicate that the increase in muscle volume occurred due to an increase in protein synthesis both at the level of myofibrils (organelles of striated muscle cells that ensure their contraction) and at the level of cytosols (a solution molecules filling the cell volume). In addition, the massage contributed to the removal of protein breakdown products from the muscles, which also contributed to stimulation muscle growth.

APPLICATION OF RESULTS IN PRACTICE

It is not yet known how much force must be applied when working with a person, just as the amount of work for each individual stage of muscle atrophy is unknown. However, information that massage can accelerate growth muscle tissue both in the muscle to which the action is applied and in a similar muscle on the opposite side of the body, can be used in a variety of cases.

Muscle atrophy in humans develops as a result of exposure to a wide variety of factors - injury, functional disorder, disease, and so on. This problem is especially relevant for older people. The high risk of developing functional disorders of the musculoskeletal system, associated with muscle atrophy, increases the risk of death due to an accidental fall.

For me, the most interesting thing in this study was the confirmation of Pfluger's law of symmetry (although the law itself was not mentioned in this study). However, what the researchers called the crossover effect is essentially Pflueger's law: if a sufficiently intense force is applied to a muscle on one side of the body, the resulting nerve impulse will also affect the muscle on the opposite side of the body.

In practice, I apply this knowledge when I do not have the opportunity to directly work through the problem area. For example, when my friend came to me for help because of pain in her broken leg, I started working with healthy leg. The result was not long in coming, and soon the pain subsided. I also indicated this case in my doctoral dissertation as another confirmation of the thesis I defended.

Of particular importance is the correct interpretation and application of the results of this study in practice. For example, based on the results of this study, we cannot say that any specific massage technique causes increased muscle growth and combats muscle atrophy in humans. There are still many questions to be answered regarding the mechanism of action of this principle, as well as the correlation of data obtained from animal studies with human data. However, even these results shed light on some previously unknown aspects of massage.

Doctor of Medicine Niki Munk