Massage Alleviates Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness after Strenuous Exercise

For evidence-based lovers, a new Systematic Review confirms that Massage Alleviates Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness after Strenuous Exercise.

A  systematic review and meta-analysis was published in the Journal Frontiers in Pyshiology by researchers from China. The review evaluates the effects of massage on alleviating delayed onset of muscle soreness (DOMS) and muscle performance after strenuous exercise.

The authors looked in to medical and scientific databases up to the period of 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.

The authors found eleven articles with a total of 23 data points (involving 504 participants) which were 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 , 48 h, 72 h after intense exercise. Additionally, massage therapy improved MIF  and peak torque as total effects. Furthermore, the serum CK level was reduced when participants received massage intervention.

The authors concluded that the current evidence suggests that massage therapy after strenuous exercise could be effective for alleviating DOMS and improving muscle performance.