Massage Therapy Beneficial for Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage

Muscle biopsies were obtained from 11 male participants immediately after the administration of a massage to a randomised single leg, and again after 2.5 hours of recovery.

Results demonstrated that when administer to skeletal muscle that has been acutely damaged through exercise, massage therapy appears to be clinically beneficial as it reduces inflammation and promotes mitochondrial biogenesis.

Reference:

Crane, J. D., Ogborn, D. I., Cupido, C., Melov, S., Hubbard, A., Bourgeois, J. M., & Tarnopolsky, M. A. (2012).Massage therapy attenuates inflammatory signalling after exercise-induced muscle damage. Science Translation Medicine, 4. Doi: 10.1126/scitranslmed.3002882