AMTA Home Page

Massage Info Center

Find a Massage Therapist

Massage Speeds Muscle Recovery

Researchers from Ohio State University (OSU) have released evidence of the healing effect of massage on muscles after exercise. While testing the theory that therapeutic massage can speed recovery after a sports injury, they found that immediate cyclic compression of muscles after intense exercise reduced swelling and muscle damage in a study on animals.

Using rabbits, researchers used one mechanical device to mimic a specific kind of exercise, and a second device to simulate massage of the affected muscles. Another group of rabbits performed the exercise movements but did not receive simulated massage. After four days of the exercise-massage cycle, the animals’ muscle strength and tissue were examined. The muscles of animals in the simulated massage group had improved function, less swelling and fewer signs of inflammation, and recovered about 60 percent of initial strength, compared to about 14 percent strength recovery in the non-massage group.

“We tried to mimic Swedish massage because anecdotally, it’s the most popular technique used by athletes,” says Thomas Best, a professor at OSU and senior author of the study.

“Despite the existing anecdotal evidence—we know athletes use massage all the time—researchers don’t know the mechanism of how massage improves recovery after exercise and injury,” continues Best, who is also co-director of the OSU Sports Medicine Center.

While it’s too soon to apply the results directly to humans, the researchers consider this a strong start toward scientific confirmation of massage’s benefits to athletes after intense eccentric exercise, when muscles contract and lengthen at the same time.

“There is potential that this continuing research will have huge clinical implications,” says Best. “If we can define the mechanism for recovery, the translation of these findings to the clinic will dictate how much massage is needed, for how long and when it should be performed after exercise.”

These findings were published in the July 2008 issue of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.

Source: Ohio State University. " Massaging Muscles Facilitates Recovery After Exercise." ScienceDaily 18 August 2008.

Subscribe