From Workout to Recovery: Understanding How to Efficiently Manage your Muscle Pump

From Workout to Recovery: Understanding How to Efficiently Manage your Muscle Pump & Tackling Post-Exercise Swelling With Compression & Manual Lymphatic Drainage

Have you ever finished a heavy workout or done intense cardio and noticed your muscles feel swollen, tight or sore? It’s not just in your head, there’s quite a bit happening inside your body when you train hard. When you push your muscles- especially during movements where the muscle is lengthening under load (like lowering a weight slowly or running downhill)- you cause tiny-scale damage in your muscle fibers. These are microscopic “micro-tears” in the muscle tissue and the connective structures around them. Think of it like small cracks forming in a building when it’s under too much stress- not catastrophic, but enough to matter.

Because of these micro-injuries, the usual structure of the muscle gets disrupted. The membranes of muscle cells and surrounding tissues become a little more “leaky.” This means things like calcium inside the muscle cells can start moving where they shouldn’t, which then triggers enzymes that break down the damaged parts of the muscle. All of this sets off the body’s inflammatory response.

When your body detects this damage, it responds: blood flow to the area increases, immune cells arrive and signaling chemicals (inflammation mediators) are released. This is normal and a key part of how your body adapts and becomes stronger. But it comes with side-effects you feel: swelling or “puffiness”, soreness, a temporary drop in strength or mobility.

There’s another piece too: when inflammation and micro‐tears are present, there can be an increased volume of fluid between the tissues (interstitial fluid). Your lymphatic system is supposed to clear that excess fluid and waste, but when the workload is high (like after intense training) the clearance may lag behind. That lag can lead to reduced range of motion, more soreness, and delayed recovery.

How MLD and Compression Garments Aid in Recovery:

MLD is a gentle, rhythmic hands-on technique aimed at stimulating your lymphatic system. It helps to reroute excess fluid toward healthy lymph pathways and nodes, accelerate the removal of waste and cellular debris, reduce inflammation, and lower tissue pressure/ease soreness. Research supports its use in conditions of swelling and fluid overload.

Compression garments help by applying consistent pressure to the limbs or area, which improves venous return (blood flow back to the heart), reduces the available space for fluid to pool, and supports lymphatic drainage. That means less swelling, less mechanical pressure on pain-sensitive structures, better oxygenation of muscles and a speedier feeling of recovery.

When you combine MLD and compression, the two work in harmony. MLD mobilizes the fluid, compression helps guide and maintain the fluid’s movement out of the area and reduces accumulation.

To try out MLD and compression for yourself, book with us today!

Sources:

Machado, A. F., Júnior, C. P., & Filho, M. (2013). Compression garments and recovery from exercise-induced muscle damage: a meta-analysis. PubMed. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23757486/

Brown, F., Di Virgilio, T., Vidoni, S., et al. (2022). Compression-induced improvements in post-exercise recovery are associated with enhanced blood flow, and are not due to the placebo effect. Scientific Reports. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-21029-2

Scott, S., & Nash, M. (2023). Effects of compression garments on muscle strength and power recovery post-exercise: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PubMed. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40141783/

Milton, C., Smith, P., & Jones, L. (2017). Investigating the short-term effects of manual lymphatic drainage and compression garment therapies on lymphatic function using near-infrared imaging. PubMed. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28749744/

Roberts, A. E., & Green, K. (2021). The use of manual lymphatic drainage on clinical presentation of musculoskeletal injuries: A systematic review. PubMed. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34343761/