Trybulski Robert, Roczniok Robert, Olaniszyn Gracjan, Svyshch Yaroslav, Vovkanych Andryi, Wilk Michał
Medical Department Wojciech Korfanty, Upper Silesian Academy in Katowice, 40-659 Katowice, Poland.
Department of Physical Therapy and Ergotherapy, Ivan Boberkyj Lviv State University of Physical Culture, 79007 Lviv, Ukraine.
J Funct Morphol Kinesiol. 2025 May 28;10(2):194. doi: 10.3390/jfmk10020194.
The purpose of this study is to quantitatively evaluate the combined effects of sports massage, blood flow restriction (BFR), and cold therapy on quadriceps recovery in mixed martial arts (MMA) athletes following eccentric exercise, focusing on muscle biomechanical properties, pain, and strength.
This randomized, single-blind clinical trial involved 36 men and women MMA-trained participants, divided into three groups: massage (n = 12) received massage, BFR/cool (n = 12) received combined BFR and cooling, and control (n = 12) received passive rest as a control. The fatigue protocol involved MMA fighters performing five sets of plyometric jumps on a 50 cm box until exhaustion, with 1-min breaks between sets. After that, the massage group received a 20-min massage overall using standardized techniques; BFR/cool underwent a 20-min alternating blood flow restriction (200 mmHg) and cooling treatment with ice bags on the quadriceps; and the final group served as the control group with passive rest and no intervention. Participants were assessed four times-before exercise, immediately after exercise, 24 h post-exercise (after two recovery sessions), and 48 h post-exercise (after four recovery sessions)-for perfusion unit (PU), muscle elasticity, pressure pain threshold (PPT), reactive strength index (RSI), and total quality recovery (TQR).
The statistical analysis revealed significant effects of both massage and BFR/cooling interventions across key recovery outcomes, with large effect sizes for time-related changes in RSI ( < 0.0001; η = 0.87), elasticity ( < 0.0001; η = 0.84), and PPT ( < 0.0001; η = 0.66). Notably, post-exercise 48 h values for RSI, elasticity, PU, and TQR were significantly improved in both the massage and BFR/cool groups compared to control ( < 0.05)), while no significant group differences were observed for PPT.
The study concludes that both massage and combined blood flow restriction with cooling interventions significantly enhance post-exercise recovery-improving muscle perfusion, elasticity, reactive strength, and perceived recovery-compared to passive rest.
本研究旨在定量评估运动按摩、血流限制（BFR）和冷疗对综合格斗（MMA）运动员离心运动后股四头肌恢复的联合效果，重点关注肌肉生物力学特性、疼痛和力量。
这项随机、单盲临床试验纳入了36名接受过MMA训练的男女参与者，分为三组：按摩组（n = 12）接受按摩，BFR/冷疗组（n = 12）接受BFR和冷疗联合治疗，对照组（n = 12）接受被动休息作为对照。疲劳方案包括MMA格斗选手在50厘米高的箱子上进行五组增强式跳跃，直至 exhaustion，每组之间休息1分钟。之后，按摩组使用标准化技术进行了总计20分钟的按摩；BFR/冷疗组对股四头肌进行了20分钟的交替血流限制（200 mmHg）和用冰袋进行冷疗；最后一组作为对照组，进行被动休息且不进行干预。在运动前、运动后立即、运动后24小时（经过两次恢复疗程）和运动后48小时（经过四次恢复疗程）对参与者进行了四次评估，评估指标包括灌注单位（PU）、肌肉弹性、压力疼痛阈值（PPT）反应力量指数（RSI）和总体恢复质量（TQR）。
统计分析显示，按摩和BFR/冷疗干预对关键恢复指标均有显著影响，RSI（< 0.0001；η = 0.87）、弹性（< 0.0001；η = 0.84）和PPT（< 0.0001；η = 0.66）与时间相关的变化效应量较大。值得注意的是，与对照组相比，按摩组和BFR/冷疗组在运动后48小时的RSI、弹性、PU和TQR值均有显著改善（< 0.05），而PPT在各组之间未观察到显著差异。
该研究得出结论，与被动休息相比，按摩以及血流限制与冷疗联合干预均能显著增强运动后的恢复，改善肌肉灌注、弹性、反应力量和恢复感受。
