Effect of sport massage on pressure pain threshold and tolerance in athletes under eccentric exercise

Extensive line of evidence suggest that pain threshold and tolerance alters following exercise, although the mechanisms have not been elucidated yet. In this study, we investigated the role of sport massage on pressure pain threshold and tolerance in athletes under eccentric exercise. Ten male athletes aged 23 ± 1 years with 9.67 ± 3.04 years of athletic training were recruited for this study. Following baseline measurements of pressure pain threshold and tolerance from m. biceps brachii and m. triceps brachii muscle and myofascial regions of the dominant upper extremity by using a digital algometer, subjects were underwent an acute bout of eccentric exercise. Participants were completed 4 sets of eccentric exercise each comprising 20 repetitions of lifting 80% of their 1 RM by using a dumbbell. Pressure pain threshold and tolerance tests were repeated 10, 20 and 30 minutes, and 24 and 48 hours following exercise. One week after eccentric exercise, sport massage protocol for 10 minutes was manually administered to the dominant arm immediately after exercise, and all measurements were repeated at the same timeline as eccentric exercise. Results are presented as mean + standart deviation. Data of the same timeline were analyzed by using t test. A level of p<0.05 was accepted statistical significant. Eccentric exercise resulted to increase the pain tolerance from muscle and myofascia regions of m. biceps and triceps brachii, and sport massage was found to decrease the pain tolerance at 10 minutes from muscle regions of m. biceps and triceps brachii, 10, 20 and 30 minutes from myofascial region of biceps brachii, and 20 minutes, 24 and 48 hours from myofascial region of m. triceps brachii following acute bout of eccentric exercise in athletes. We concluded that sport massage reduces the hypoalgesic response during acute and delayed period of recovery after eccentric exercise.