At the finish line of every marathon, the sports massage tent is visible as racers
line up for treatment after a gruelling run. But does sports massage after intense
exercise speed up muscle recovery? Does a massage reduce delayed onset
muscle soreness (DOMS)? While athletes of every kind use sports massage, in-
depth research into whether the therapy works and how it works has been
sparse.

Clinical trials have found solid evidence that sports massage reduces delayed
onset muscle soreness – the pain and stiffness felt in muscles several hours to
days after unaccustomed or strenuous exercise. The soreness is felt most
strongly 24 to 72 hours after the exercise. It is thought to be caused by eccentric
(lengthening) exercise, which causes small-scale damage (micro trauma) to the
muscle fibres. After such exercise, the muscle adapts rapidly to prevent muscle
damage, and thereby soreness, if the exercise is repeated.

A study in 2008 by Ohio State University researchers found that Swedish
massage reduced the time it took for a muscle to recover and the massaged
muscles showed less damage and less signs of inflammation and swelling.

The study, which took four days to complete, was performed on rabbits rather
than humans. The rabbits were sedated and their muscles were put through
simulated exercise. Subsequently, the test group of rabbits received a simulated
massage while a control group did not get any massage whatsoever. The
simulated massage imitated Swedish massage techniques, which are known to
be the most popular for a sports massage with their long strokes, kneading, joint
movement and friction.

After the exercise and subsequent massage, the researchers examined the
muscle tissues of all of the rabbits. The particular muscle tested was the anterior
tibialis, which in humans is the shin muscle. A muscle that is often the subject of
complaints of shin splint pain after unaccustomed or strenuous exercise.

The test results showed a significant difference in strength recovery between
massaged muscles and non-massaged muscles. Massaged muscles demonstrated
up to 60 per cent strength compared to 15 per cent for those that were non-
massaged. Researchers also found that the massaged muscles had fewer
damaged muscle fibres and no indication of white blood cells present to repair
any muscle damage.

The massaged muscles also showed less signs of swelling, and weighed eight per
cent less than the non-massaged muscles. Studies also note that massage
reduces markers of inflammation after exercise, which could indicate less
exercise-induced muscle damage.

When training day in, day out in sports such as Muay Thai – often two two-hour
sessions each day, six days a week – muscle recovery is paramount as muscles

and joints take heavy impact repeatedly and need to be in a strong state for the
next session. Injuries often happen to muscles that are in a weak state for
whatever reason, be it lack of recovery, or lack of stretching perhaps. Sports
massage addresses these issues with solid scientific backing.

One of many privileges that we enjoy in Phuket is access to quality sports
massage by professionals that understand the body of a fighter, and at eight US
dollars for an hour, you can’t go wrong. newshttps://www.revolutionphuketgym.com/news/does-a-sports-massage-after-a-workout-have-any-physical-benefit-studies-say-yes/