BACKGROUND Massage is a popular treatment choice of athletes, coaches, and sports physical therapists. Despite its purported benefits and frequent use, evidence demonstrating its efficacy is scarce. PURPOSE To identify current literature relating to sports massage and its role in effecting an athlete's psychological readiness, in enhancing sports performance, in recovery from exercise and com...

BACKGROUND The use of sports massage is very common in the athletic community. However, only a few studies have shown any therapeutic effect of massage. HYPOTHESIS Sports massage can improve the recovery after eccentric exercise. STUDY DESIGN Prospective randomized clinical trial. METHODS Sixteen subjects performed 300 maximal eccentric contractions of the quadriceps muscle bilaterally. M...

the term massage comes from the french verb” masser” which means to rub. in greek, it comes from the word “masso” which means to rub with the hands. massage therapy has been very common among different nations since antiquity. in iranian traditional medicine, the word “dalk” has been used with the meaning of massage. among various functions known for giving massage that used for the athletes re...

Background—Despite massage being widely used by athletes, little scientific evidence exists to confirm the eYcacy of massage for promoting both physiological and psychological recovery after exercise and massage eVects on performance. Aim—To investigate the eVect of massage on perceived recovery and blood lactate removal, and also to examine massage eVects on repeated boxing performance. Method...

The physiological and therapeutic effects of massage are frequently questioned. This article reviews previous research into the effects of massage on blood flow and composition, oedema, connective tissue, muscle and the nervous system. Although further investigations are clearly required in certain areas, the discussion demonstrates that the use of massage in sports medicine can be justified ac...

BACKGROUND Massage therapy has grown in popularity, yet little is known globally or in New Zealand about massage therapists and their practices. PURPOSE AND SETTING The aims of this study were to describe the practice patterns of trained Massage New Zealand massage therapists in New Zealand private practice, with regard to therapist characteristics; practice modes and settings, and therapy ch...

Introduction Sports Medicine is a constantly evolving profession.1 The past 20 years has seen an explosion in the sophistication of sports medicine and sports science within Australia.2 Traditionally in Australian Rules football, a medical team would consist of a group of ‘sports trainers’ to assist players with injury management and prevention. Typical duties of a sports trainer would involve ...

We are pleased to offer three distinct articles in this issue of the IJTMB covering education, sports therapy, and pain management in opioid-dependent patients. Bauer's education article looks at a massage therapy program developed specifically to address the complexity of integrating massage into a multidisciplinary hospital setting. There are several features I find useful: the description of...

OBJECTIVES The objective of this study was to determine the change in blood pressure (BP) in normotensive and prehypertensive adults resulting from a therapeutic massage, and the factors associated with such changes, including demographic and massage characteristics. DESIGN SETTINGS/LOCATION National University of Health Sciences Massage Therapy Clinic, Lombard, IL. SUBJECTS The subjects...

Massage has been a therapeutic modality in all cultures since early civilization and has had a long tradition of use in the sporting context. However, there has been a paucity of scientific evidence of the physiological, psychological and therapeutic effects of commonly used massage techniques. This paper reviews the early and more recent studies on the effects of massage and also the more rece...