Background/Purpose: Speculation exists that sports massage would benefit human performance. Such benefit might be caused by faster recovery, reduced injury, or enhanced performance per se. However, most studies have failed to confirm the effectiveness of massage in sports. The reason for this phenomenon is still uncertain, but mixed results about the benefits of sports massage are evident in literature. Hence, the present systematic review was designed to examine the effects of sports massage on performance and recovery in athletes of different competitive levels. The results of this study would have practical implications for coaches, sports scientists, and health professionals. Methods: A systematic search was performed using the PRISMA criteria. The electronic databases PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and SPORTDiscus, were searched up to June, 2022. The search strategy included (variations of) the terms 'sports massage, 'performance', and 'recovery'. Results: A total of 51 studies met the inclusion criteria. Our findings indicate most of the eligible studies investigated Swedish Massage, although a myriad of protocols was also evident, particularly in terms of the timing of the massage and adopted protocol. A considerable heterogeneity in terms of participants was also noted, ranging from healthy untrained individuals to elite athletes. Interestingly, massage seemed to directly affect flexibility, where a large portion of the eligible studies showed a significant improvement in both the overall flexibility measured by standard validated tests and the range of motion of a single isolated joint. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that despite the controversies in literature, sports massage are safe and well tolerated, with low risk of harmful effect on performance. This scenario would be of importance for athletes, coaches, and health professionals.
Premessa/scopo: Si ipotizza che il massaggio sportivo possa apportare benefici alle prestazioni umane. Tale beneficio potrebbe essere dovuto a un recupero più rapido, a una riduzione degli infortuni o a un miglioramento delle prestazioni fisiche. Tuttavia, la maggior parte degli studi non ha confermato l'efficacia del massaggio nello sport. La ragione di questo fenomeno è ancora incerta, ma i risultati contrastanti sui benefici del massaggio sportivo sono evidenti in letteratura. Pertanto, la presente revisione sistematica è stata progettata per esaminare gli effetti del massaggio sportivo sulle prestazioni e sul recupero in atleti di diversi livelli agonistici. I risultati di questo studio avranno delle implicazioni pratiche per allenatori, scienziati dello sport e professionisti della salute. Metodi: È stata eseguita una ricerca sistematica utilizzando i criteri PRISMA. Le banche dati elettroniche PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science e SPORTDiscus sono state consultate fino a giugno 2022. La strategia di ricerca comprendeva i termini (e le loro varianti) di "massaggio sportivo", "prestazioni" e "recupero". Risultati: Un totale di 51 studi ha soddisfatto i criteri di inclusione. I nostri risultati indicano che la maggior parte degli studi ammissibili ha analizzato il massaggio svedese, anche se è emersa una grande varietà nei protocolli, in particolare per quanto riguarda i tempi del massaggio e il protocollo adottato. È stata notata anche una notevole eterogeneità in termini di partecipanti, che vanno da individui sani non allenati ad atleti d'élite. È interessante notare che il massaggio sembra avere un effetto diretto sulla flessibilità: un'ampia parte degli studi ammissibili ha mostrato un miglioramento significativo sia della flessibilità complessiva, misurata con test standard validati, sia del range di movimento di singole articolazioni isolate. Conclusioni: I nostri risultati suggeriscono come, nonostante le controversie presenti in letteratura, i massaggi sportivi siano sicuri e ben tollerati, con un basso rischio di effetti dannosi sulle prestazioni. Questo scenario è importante per gli atleti, gli allenatori e i professionisti della salute.
Does sports massage affect performance and recovery in trained athletes and healthy adults? A systematic review.
LIPPOLIS, ALESSANDRA
2021/2022
Abstract
Background/Purpose: Speculation exists that sports massage would benefit human performance. Such benefit might be caused by faster recovery, reduced injury, or enhanced performance per se. However, most studies have failed to confirm the effectiveness of massage in sports. The reason for this phenomenon is still uncertain, but mixed results about the benefits of sports massage are evident in literature. Hence, the present systematic review was designed to examine the effects of sports massage on performance and recovery in athletes of different competitive levels. The results of this study would have practical implications for coaches, sports scientists, and health professionals. Methods: A systematic search was performed using the PRISMA criteria. The electronic databases PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and SPORTDiscus, were searched up to June, 2022. The search strategy included (variations of) the terms 'sports massage, 'performance', and 'recovery'. Results: A total of 51 studies met the inclusion criteria. Our findings indicate most of the eligible studies investigated Swedish Massage, although a myriad of protocols was also evident, particularly in terms of the timing of the massage and adopted protocol. A considerable heterogeneity in terms of participants was also noted, ranging from healthy untrained individuals to elite athletes. Interestingly, massage seemed to directly affect flexibility, where a large portion of the eligible studies showed a significant improvement in both the overall flexibility measured by standard validated tests and the range of motion of a single isolated joint. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that despite the controversies in literature, sports massage are safe and well tolerated, with low risk of harmful effect on performance. This scenario would be of importance for athletes, coaches, and health professionals.È consentito all'utente scaricare e condividere i documenti disponibili a testo pieno in UNITESI UNIPV nel rispetto della licenza Creative Commons del tipo CC BY NC ND.
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https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14239/14744