Best Thomas M, Hunter Robin, Wilcox Aaron, Haq Furqan
Department of Family Medicine, Division of Sports Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43221, USA.
Clin J Sport Med. 2008 Sep;18(5):446-60. doi: 10.1097/JSM.0b013e31818837a1.
Sport massage, a manual therapy for muscle and soft tissue pain and weakness, is a popular and widely used modality for recovery after intense exercise. Our objective is to determine the effectiveness of sport massage for improving recovery after strenuous exercise.
We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CINAHL using all current and historical names for sport massage. Reference sections of included articles were scanned to identify additional relevant articles.
Study inclusion criteria required that subjects (1) were humans, (2) performed strenuous exercise, (3) received massage, and (4) were assessed for muscle recovery and performance. Ultimately, 27 studies met inclusion criteria.
Eligible studies were reviewed, and data were extracted by the senior author (TMB). The main outcomes extracted were type and timing of massage and outcome measures studied.
Data from 17 case series revealed inconsistent results. Most studies evaluating post-exercise function suggest that massage is not effective, whereas studies that also evaluated the symptoms of DOMS did show some benefit. Data from 10 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) do, however, provide moderate evidence for the efficacy of massage therapy. The search identified no trend between type and timing of massage and any specific outcome measures investigated.
Case series provide little support for the use of massage to aid muscle recovery or performance after intense exercise. In contrast, RCTs provide moderate data supporting its use to facilitate recovery from repetitive muscular contractions. Further investigation using standardized protocols measuring similar outcome variables is necessary to more conclusively determine the efficacy of sport massage and the optimal strategy for its implementation to enhance recovery following intense exercise.
运动按摩作为一种针对肌肉和软组织疼痛及无力的手法治疗，是一种在剧烈运动后恢复中广泛应用且很受欢迎的方式。我们的目的是确定运动按摩对改善剧烈运动后恢复情况的有效性。
我们使用运动按摩的所有当前及历史名称检索了MEDLINE、EMBASE和CINAHL数据库。对纳入文章的参考文献部分进行了扫描，以识别其他相关文章。
研究纳入标准要求受试者（1）为人类，（2）进行剧烈运动，（3）接受按摩，（4）接受肌肉恢复和表现评估。最终，27项研究符合纳入标准。
对符合条件的研究进行了综述，数据由资深作者（TMB）提取。提取的主要结果为按摩的类型和时间以及所研究的结果指标。
来自17个病例系列的数据显示结果不一致。大多数评估运动后功能的研究表明按摩无效，而那些同时评估延迟性肌肉酸痛症状的研究确实显示出了一些益处。然而，来自10项随机对照试验（RCT）的数据确实为按摩疗法的疗效提供了中等程度的证据。检索未发现按摩类型和时间与所调查的任何特定结果指标之间存在趋势。
病例系列几乎没有支持在剧烈运动后使用按摩来辅助肌肉恢复或提高表现。相比之下，RCT提供了中等程度的数据支持其用于促进从重复性肌肉收缩中恢复。需要使用测量相似结果变量的标准化方案进行进一步研究，以便更确凿地确定运动按摩的疗效以及实施其以增强剧烈运动后恢复的最佳策略。
