Muscle inflammation from Lactate, Good or Bad?
Strength training, and more specifically high intense strength training workouts (example H.I.I.T.) can create muscle soreness. For years, the source of what caused that muscle soreness was thought to be lactic acid. We have all heard about feeling the burn from lactic acid. Research in the last fifteen years has proven that to be incorrect. It’s lactate, which is a waste product from training, that creates soreness, a decrease in performance, and can cause inflammation in the muscle. Recent research on lactate has not only focused on metabolic related adaptations. It has been suggested that lactate may play a role in muscle cell myogenesis (the process of muscular cell formation). This process particularly takes place within embryo cells, but it is commonly accepted that satellite cells (muscle stem cells) may also differentiate into myocytes (muscle fibers), thus playing a significant role in muscle repair, maintenance, and growth. Simply put, the production of lactate is beneficial, but once it’s produced our body needs to flush it out.
Going back to my early days of coaching, when clients told me they were sore from a workout, my answer was usually, put some ice on it. The R.I.C.E. protocol (rest, ice, compress, elevate) was the adopted way to treat an injury from possible overuse. Then I learned of how this protocol came about.
How the Myth Came to Be
On May 23, 1962, twelve- year- old Everett (Eddie) Knowles jumped onto a freight train in Somerville, MA resulting in his arm being completely severed from his body. The young boy was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) where Dr. Ronald A. Malt, a young chief resident, attempted to save Eddie’s detached limb. Even though there had never been a successful reattachment of a major limb recorded in medical literature, Dr. Malt, and a team of twelve doctors performed the first successful limb reattachment in history.
The operation’s success quickly became a global phenomenon. Newscasters swarmed the team of doctors to obtain essential facts about the miracle limb reattachment touted as one of the most monumental operations in medical history. However, the essential facts about the surgery were rather complicated and would not be understood by the general public. Instead, reporters focused on the aspects of the story that would be intriguing to the reader. As a result, the application of ice to preserve the severed tissue became the main focus of the story.
The use of ice to treat injuries and muscle inflammation was never part of medical protocol prior to the events of May 23, 1962, and the notion to utilize ice for tissue preservation was quickly published by newspapers around the globe. Subsequently, as the story was continuously retold by individuals not directly involved in the surgery, facts began to change. Eventually, the general public was quickly accepting the notion that any injury should be treated with the application of ice, regardless of its severity or how it occurred.
After exercise, the goal should be to get waste out of the muscle and accelerate the recovery process. The lymphatic system is responsible for removing waste, but it’s a passive system. Activation of the muscles that surround lymphatic vessels is required to push out the waste. Movement is the natural facilitator for the recovery process. Normal amounts of movement (i.e., doing your normal routine, errands, etc.) will result in a normal rate of recovery. That’s when taking a brisk walk or low intense cycling on a bike are good options. One of my hacks has been to use an EMS (electronic muscle stimulator) to assist in this. This allows me to multi-task (such as draft articles like this one), while this small machine does the work.
Electronic muscle stimulation (EMS) is a physical therapy and fitness technique. It involves a machine that transmits electrical impulses through electrodes that are applied directly to your skin. The electrical signals trigger repeated contractions (tightening) of the muscles. The contractions can be short and frequent or long and sustained. This process is not all that different from the voluntary muscle contractions associated with strength training.
Lactate is a critical component of energy metabolism. Although it has historically been blamed for muscle soreness, it’s not responsible for this effect and is, in fact, a fuel for many organs of your body. However, lactate does occur as a byproduct of intense exercise and the buildup of hydrogen ions that occurs when it’s produced is thought to be responsible for the fatigue and burn you feel during this type of activity.
Your body has a natural process for clearing lactate that relies on proper kidney and liver function and oxygen. To enhance this process, perform light cardio exercise post exercise or you may want to consider using a machine such an EMS.