A study from Department of Physiotherapy, Sao Paulo State University investigated the effects of repeated massage on the perceptive, functional, and performance outcomes of a sprint for competitive swimmers. A cross-over randomized controlled trial was conducted with 19 male and female swimmers between 12 and 20 years old. Participants received three 12-minute massage interventions over
Instrument-assisted manual therapy (IAMT) is a technique used to rehabilitate soft tissues and enhance movement dynamics. It involves applying pressure, tensile, and shear forces to specific fibrous tissues to achieve targeted therapeutic deformation. IAMT is reported to provide pain relief, increase blood flow, and improve functionality and range of motion. The mechanisms behind these effects
Recent years see the popularity of percussion or massage gun device, particular in sports training. The percussion causes vibration that can alter stretch reflex sensitivity and in turn affect the motor unit threshold, firing rate and maximal voluntary strength on muscle action. Massage gun has been used for recovery after exercise. According to a survey
Massage therapy has been reported to reduce pain and anxiety for some patients after surgery. However, the results from various studies are inconclusive. And thus, a review was conducted on results from published randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to clarify the effects of massage therapy in the treatment of postoperative pain. The authors from the Hospital
Skeletal muscles are plastic and can adapt to physical activities, but also can be easily injured. Muscle remodels with increasing mechanical loading or contractile activity by increasing its mass and/or myofibre size, referred to as skeletal muscle hypertrophy. Muscle remodelling mainly relies on the adaptation of the myofibers while regeneration relies on muscle stem cells
The effect of massage therapy is being debated. One method that has been suggested to enhance treatment effects is manipulating the pain mechanisms or factors that contribute to pain perception. A past study suggests that deep pressure massage that induces a moderate amount of pain elicits a hypoalgesic or decreased sensitivity to painful response compared
The inclusion of hamstring lengthening exercises to a rehabilitation programme for acute hamstring injuries reduces the time to return to sport and re-injuries. However, it is unknown whether introducing these exercises early or later in rehabilitation is optimal. A research study from Qatar evaluated the efficacy of early versus delayed introduction of lengthening or eccentric
As we age, our balance diminishes, especially after the mid-50s, followed by an increased risk of falling. A group of researchers led by Brazilian scientist from Rio De Janeiro devise a ten-second one-legged stance (10-second OLS) to investigate its association with mortality. The study was published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. The test
A research from Spain investigated the effect of myofascial treatments on the modulation of immunological variables. The research was published in The Journal of Complementary and Alternative Medicine. The study recruited thirty-nine healthy male volunteers were randomly assigned to an experimental or control group. The experimental group underwent three manual therapy modalities: suboccipital muscle release,
Researchers from University of Barcelona, Spain recently announced a newly discovered membrane at the origin of the proximal tendinous complex of the rectus femoris in the Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy journal. The rectus femoris is the most anterior layer of the quadriceps muscle group. It is the only one of the four muscles of the