Effectiveness of massage on muscle recovery: a randomized controlled trial

Introduction: High-performance athletic training induces substantial muscle fatigue, which underscores the need for effective recovery strategies. Massage therapy has been proposed as a potential intervention to promote post-exercise recovery in athletes. Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of massage therapy on muscle recovery following exercise. Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 37 football and futsal players, who were allocated to either an experimental group (EG) that received massage therapy or a control group (CG) that attended an educational session. Measurements were taken at three time points: before the intervention, immediately after, and 24 hours later. Muscle soreness was assessed using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), and physical performance was evaluated using lower-limb mechanical power output, the Reactive Strength Index (RSI) during a Drop Jump, and mean propulsive velocity (MPV) during a back squat. Results: No statistically significant between-group differences were observed in pain perception, jump power, RSI, or MPV either immediately after the intervention or 24 hours later (all p > .05). Conclusion: Applying massage therapy after a fatigue protocol did not produce significant changes in the analyzed physical performance variables. However, a tendency toward reduced perceived soreness was observed after 24 hours, suggesting that potential benefits of massage may emerge after longer recovery windows (>48 h).