The effect of massage on localized lumbar muscle fatigue

BACKGROUND: There is not enough evidence to support the efficacy of massage for muscle fatigue despite wide utilization of the modality in various clinical settings. This study investigated the influence of massage application on localized back muscle fatigue. METHODS: Twenty-nine healthy subjects participated in two experimental sessions (massage and rest conditions). On each test day, subjects were asked to lie in the prone position on a treatment table and perform sustained back extension for 90 seconds. Subjects then either received massage on the lumbar region or rested for a 5 minute duration, then repeated the back extension movement. The median frequency (MDF), mean power frequency (MNF), and root mean square (RMS) amplitude of electromyographic signals during the 90 second sustained lumbar muscle contraction were analyzed. The subjective feeling of fatigue was then evaluated using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). RESULTS: MDF and MNF significantly declined with time under all conditions. There was no significant difference in MDF, MNF or RMS value change between before and after massage, or between rest and massage conditions. There was a significant increase in fatigue VAS at the end of the 2(nd) back extension with rest condition. There was a significant difference in fatigue VAS change between massage and rest condition. CONCLUSIONS: A significant difference was observed between massage and rest condition on VAS for muscle fatigue. On EMG analysis, there were no significant differences to conclude that massage stimulation influenced the myoelectrical muscle fatigue, which is associated with metabolic and electrical changes

The effectiveness of connective tissue massage in the treatment of primary dysmenorrhea among young women

OBJECTIVE: to evaluate the possible effectiveness of connective tissue massage for the non-medical treatment of primary dysmenorrhea. METHODS: this was a pilot observational cohort study. SETTING: University clinics. PARTICIPANTS: Seventy two young women presenting primary dysmenorrhea. INTERVENTION: Physiotherapy students in their last year at university and physiotherapists were trained for 20 hours to apply the massage. All volunteers were submitted to lumbar connective tissue massage twice weekly, while they were not menstruating, during the three menstrual cycles that followed admission. The following regions were manipulated: sacral, lumbar, last thoracic vertebrae and subcostal. INDICATORS: Pain score, use of pain medication and other menstrual systemic symptoms over time (before treatment, after each of the three menstrual periods during treatment, and in the second and in the third month following treatment). RESULTS: after the first treatment month, the pain score decreased significantly (pOBJETIVO: avaliar a possível efetividade da massagem do tecido conjuntivo para o tratamento não medicamentoso da dismenorréia primária. MÉTODOS: estudo piloto, do tipo observacional de coorte com setenta e duas mulheres jovens com dismenorréia primária em Clínica Universitária. Estudantes de fisioterapia e fisioterapeutas receberam treinamento de 20 horas para aplicar a massagem. Todas as voluntárias receberam massagem do tecido conjuntivo lombar duas vezes por semana, no período intermenstrual durante os três ciclos menstruais após a admissão. As regiões manipuladas foram: sacral, lombar, última vértebra torácica e sub-costal. Desfechos avaliados: Escore de dor, uso de medicamentos e ocorrência de outros sintomas sistêmicos ao longo do tempo (antes do tratamento, após cada ciclo menstrual durante o tratamento e nos dois meses após o tratamento). RESULTADOS: o escore de dor diminuiu significativamente após o primeiro mês de tratamento (p<0,001). A porcentagem de voluntárias que precisou de medicamentos para dor e que relatou sintomas sistêmicos diminuiu com o tempo de tratamento, mas não houve correlação entre o número de massagens e o escore de dor na análise multivariada. CONCLUSÃO: a massagem do tecido conjuntivo pode causar uma redução da dor menstrual, mas o tipo de estudo não permite excluir um efeito placebo. Os resultados justificam a realização de estudo clínico randomizado para confirmar ou não esse efeito