Dose Dependent Effect of Massage on Recovery of Muscle Mechanical Properties Following Eccentric Exercise

Although limited evidence exists on the efficacy of massage, Americans make more than 160 million visits annually for relief of musculoskeletal pain and weakness by manipulative or body-based practices. In order to achieve optimal efficacy for any therapy, it is essential to understand the effects of loading magnitude, frequency, and duration on the tissue's properties. PURPOSE: To determine a combined frequency, magnitude and duration of massage that optimizes recovery of muscle function following eccentric exercise assessed by the effect on both active (peak isometric torque) and passive (creep and load relaxation) properties. METHODS: Twenty four skeletally mature New Zealand White rabbits were surgically instrumented with bilateral peroneal nerve cuffs and subcutaneous interfaces for stimulation of the hindlimb tibialis anterior (TA) muscles. Rabbits were randomly assigned to a protocol with massage at 0.25 or 0.5 Hz with compressive forces of 5 or 10N for 15 or 30 min. The contralateral hindlimb served as the exercised non-massaged control. Creep and load relaxation properties of the TA were tested prior to one bout of damaging, eccentric exercise, post exercise, and pre and post four consecutive days of massage. A torque-angle relationship was obtained for 21 tibiotarsal joint angles (55° to 155° in 5° increments) pre and post exercise and post four consecutive days of massage or no massage. RESULTS: Eccentric exercise produced an average 66 ±8.1% (p<0.05) decrease in peak isometric torque output. Increased magnitude (10N), duration (30 min), and frequency (0.5 Hz) facilitated increased recovery of the muscle's active properties (318.8 vs. 162.6, 40, and 12.7%, p<0.05) The passive properties were also dependent upon magnitude, duration, and frequency of applied forces with 30 min, 10N massage at 0.5 Hz showing the largest improvements in both creep (105.9 vs. 53.7, 75, and 66.2 %, p<0.05) and load relaxation (74.2 vs. 23.8, 42.5, and 61.6%, p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Muscles subjected to cyclic compressive loading show a dose dependent effect of massage on the recovery of mechanical properties. These data provide some support for the use of therapeutic massage; however clinical studies would need to confirm these findings. Supported by NIH NCCAM R01AT004922 (TMB).