Stronger massage tends to cause more PMSM - though the effect is as unpredictable as weather. Most of this article is about the worst cases, which are much harder to explain than the milder ones, but I devote a section below to exploring the causes of milder cases as well. Severe PMSM is really unpleasant, even serious, and so it’s probably safe to assume that something goes wrong, a significant and poorly understood side effect of massage. 2 3 The worst cases feel like a full-blown flu, except it doesn’t last nearly as long. People routinely suffer from varying degrees of soreness and malaise following firmer massage therapy, a phenomenon known as post-massage soreness & malaise, or PMSM. Weirdly, it’s common to feel a bit gross after a massage… and sometimes very gross. Pesky ethics!) Before we talk about any toxins, however, let’s establish that there’s anything that needs explaining… Feel a bit sick after massage? (And I’m probably sacrificing a small fortune. I am going to be specific, and there’s no detox solution for sale here. 1 The toxin talkers should either be specific when they talk about toxins, or stop talking about toxins. The idea of “toxins” is often unethically exploited in alternative medicine, usually to sell detoxification treatments. Massage is toxic? Technically, it may well be. Specifically, there is a strong scientific case that strong massage can damage muscle, spilling proteins into the blood and clogging up the kidneys - a type of literal poisoning. Intense massage may be routinely harming people, especially some vulnerable populations, people who mostly don’t even know that they are vulnerable. People believe massage is de-toxifying, and that is not only not true, but quite possibly the opposite of true. It turns out that massage therapy may be toxic, which is both interesting science and at odds with popular beliefs about massage. (A Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction is not a plausible explanation.)Īnd you can’t “flush” the rhabdo (or anything else) away with massage or by drinking a little extra water. Mild PMSM also has several possible non-rhabdo explanations, like coincidental mild illness, pathological vulnerability, and psychologically disarming our normal psychological defenses. There is plenty of plausibility and empirical “smoke” to support the hypothesis.Īnd what if it’s true? A major side effect, totally at odds with faith in the value of strong massage. The phenomenon of PMSM needs explaining, and rhabdo is surprisingly good candidate. There are three good formal case studies now ( Lai, Tanriover, Chen), and I have many informal ones too: many people find this article and send me reports of post-massage rhabdo signs/symptoms. But tamer rhabdo can be caused by physical stress, even just intense exercise (medical reality, see exertional or “white collar” rhabdo)…and quite possibly “deep tissue” massage as well, which is still just a hypothesis.īut that hypothesis is getting more evidence-based as evidence accumulates. True rhabdo is a medical emergency in which the kidneys are gummed up by myoglobin from crushed muscle. Ironically, it may be the opposite: PMSM is may be caused by mild rhabdomyolysis, a type of poisoning. Massage is not “detoxifying” in any way (that’s pseudoscientific nonsense). Post-massage soreness and malaise (PMSM) is embraced as a minor side effect and hand-waved away by almost everyone as some kind of no-pain-no-gain thing. we feel a bit cruddy and sore after a massage, like it was a big workout. im/files/patient-education-handouts/smoking-files/4%20WHAT%20HAPPENS%20WHEN%20YOU%20QUIT%20SMOKING.pdf nhs.uk/smokefree/why-quit/what-happens-when-you-quit quitting-smoking/reasons-quit/health-effects
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