Massage Therapy Beneficial for Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage

Massage therapy is commonly used to reduce pain and promote recovery of muscles after injury.  This current study aimed to assess the influence of massage on muscles which had engaged in intense exercise to better understand the suitability of massage for tissue rehabilitation.

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