Effect of Preperformance Lower-Limb Massage on Thirty-Meter Sprint Running

Abstract

Massage is a commonly utilized therapy within sports, frequently intended as an ergogenic aid prior to performance. However, evidence as to the efficacy of massage in this respect is lacking, and massage may in some instances reduce force production. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of massage on subsequent 30-m sprint running performance. Male university level repeat sprint sports players volunteered for the study (n = 37). After each of 3 treatment conditions, subjects completed a standardized warm-up followed by three 30-m sprint trials in a counterbalanced crossover design. Treatment conditions were 15 minutes of lower-limb massage (M), 15 minutes of placebo ultrasound (PU), and rest (R). Thirty-meter sprint times were recorded (including 10-m split times) for the 3 trials under each condition. Best times at 10 m (M: 1.85 +/- 0.09 seconds, PU: 1.84 +/- 0.11 seconds, R: 1.83 +/- 0.10 seconds) and 30 m (M: 4.41 +/- 0.27 seconds, PU: 4.39 +/- 0.28 seconds, R: 4.39 +/- 0.28 seconds) were not significantly different (p > 0.05). There was no significant treatment, trial, or interaction effect for 10- or 30-m sprint times (p > 0.05). No difference was seen in the location of subjects' best times across the 3 trials (p > 0.05). Relative to placebo or control, the results of this study showed that a controlled 15-minute lower-limb massage administered prior to warm-up had no significant effect on subsequent 30-m sprint performance. Massage remains indicated prior to performance where other benefits, such as reduced muscle spasm and psychological stress, might be served to the athlete.

Untitled

“…Many studies investigated the effects of longer-duration preperformance massage on muscle strength and explosive performance, such as sprinting and vertical jump and found that they were not effective or even detrimental [2,4,[9][10][11]. Our findings were in line with those studies, implying that any types of massage might not be effective to enhance athletes' vertical jump performance acutely.…”

“…In fact, some studies demonstrated that massage might inhibit muscle strength and compromise explosive performance, such as sprinting and vertical jump [2,9,10]. In most studies with negative findings regarding the effects of massage on strength and functional performance, massage tends to be long -duration massage (>10 minutes) [2,9,11]. In reality, however, it is often difficult and impractical for therapists working in teams to perform long-duration massage for every athlete before games.…”

Foam Rolling as a Warm-up Technique for Anaerobic Power Activities

“…In the area of sport pre-performance massage, little research reveals positive outcomes. Goodwin, et al [24] examined 30 meter sprint times following a 15 minute lower-body massage. No statistically significant changes were found between the experiment and control groups.…”

The Immediate Effects of Manual Massage of Forearm on Power-Grip Strength and Endurance in Healthy Young Men

“…They believe that massage neither improves nor prevents muscle performance. 17,21,[29][30][31] In contrast, many studies reported improvement in muscle performance following massage. [2][3][4][5][9][10][11][12]22,23 It appears that factors such as target muscles, immediate or long-term effects, and athletic participants or nonathletic participants may influence the effectiveness of massage on muscle performance.…”

“…26 Although it is generally accepted that massage can provide benefits to the body, other studies have reported that massage has no positive effect on performance. [27][28][29][30] Therefore, more studies are needed to clarify the effects of massage on performance. 31 The objective of this study was to determine if 1 session of hand and forearm massage could improve hand grip strength and endurance in healthy young men.…”