Massage Alleviates Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness after Strenuous Exercise: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the effects of massage on alleviating delayed onset of muscle soreness (DOMS) and muscle performance after strenuous exercise.Method: Seven databases consisting of PubMed, Embase, EBSCO, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, CNKI and Wanfang were searched up to December 2016. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were eligible and the outcomes of muscle soreness, performance (including muscle maximal isometric force (MIF) and peak torque) and creatine kinase (CK) were used to assess the effectiveness of massage intervention on DOMS.Results: Eleven articles with a total of 23 data points (involving 504 participants) satisfied the inclusion criteria and were pooled in the meta-analysis. The findings demonstrated that muscle soreness rating decreased significantly when the participants received massage intervention compared with no intervention at 24 h (SMD: –0.61, 95% CI: –1.17 to –0.05, P = 0.03), 48 h (SMD: –1.51, 95% CI: –2.24 to –0.77, P < 0.001), 72 h (SMD: –1.46, 95% CI: –2.59 to –0.33, P = 0.01) and in total (SMD: –1.16, 95% CI: –1.60 to –0.72, P < 0.001) after intense exercise. Additionally, massage therapy improved MIF (SMD: 0.56, 95% CI: 0.21–0.90, P = 0.002) and peak torque (SMD: 0.38, 95% CI: 0.04–0.71, P = 0.03) as total effects. Furthermore, the serum CK level was reduced when participants received massage intervention (SMD: –0.64, 95% CI: –1.04 to –0.25, P = 0.001).Conclusion: The current evidence suggests that massage therapy after strenuous exercise could be effective for alleviating DOMS and improving muscle performance.

Comparison of the effectiveness of manual massage, long-wave diathermy, and sham long-wave diathermy for the management of delayed-onset muscle soreness: a randomized controlled trial

“…As outlined, in general, few data on the effects of LWD on musculoskeletal disorders exist in the literature despite a common massive performance of such technique in the clinical setting. As manual massage has been effective for treating DOMS [10,[18][19][20], we were interested to compare it with LWD and sham LWD. Similar results in DOMS attenuation have been described in high-quality studies (Physiotherapy Evidence Database PEDro score ≥ 6/10) [21] that provided manual massage as a comparable modality to the one described in the present study.…”

“…The participants were randomly assigned, using an online software program (random.org), to the three treatments, with the assignment of treatment conducted by an undergraduate physiotherapy students at the end of their bachelor's degree. They treated the athletes with lower limb DOMS during its peak phase, from 24 to 72 h post-exercise according to data from the literature [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10].…”

“…Manual massage is considered one of the most common and easy-to-perform treatments to relieve DOMS in clinical practice, and many authors have described its applications [9][10][11][12]. Moreover, long-wave diathermy (LWD; also known as capacitive and resistive electric transfer therapy) has recently received great clinical interest in the field of sports.…”

Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Supplementation for Reducing Muscle Soreness after Eccentric Exercise: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

“…Though the exact physiological mechanism of DOMS remains equivocal, researches have revealed its relations with damage of sarcomeres, ensuing swelling of damaged muscle fibers, and subsequent initiation of an inflammatory response [31][32][33][34]. So far, physical therapies, including postexercise massage [35,36], cryotherapy [37], low-level phototherapy [38], and vibration therapy [39,40], as well as the application of pharmacologic nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) [41][42][43][44][45][46], are the predominant means employed to alleviate DOMS. Actually, since DOMS is widely accepted as a common self-treated condition, current studies have been turning to dietary interference, such as caffeine [47], ginger [48,49], and taurine [50,51], and some studies also revealed n-3 PUFA as a potential therapeutic agent to blunt DOMS.…”

The passive stretching, massage, and muscle energy technique effects on range of motion, strength, and pressure pain threshold in musculoskeletal neck pain of young adults

“…It also increases the muscle torque and exhibits an analgesic effect by increasing the pain threshold [6]. The second technique is massage, which is applied to soft tissues and can contribute to alteration of blood flow, blood pressure, and skin temperature using the hands, a vibrator, and a roller [7,8]. The third technique is MET followed by relaxation and passive stretching (PS).…”