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Deep Tissue Massage/chiropractor

Dr Squat

By Dr Squat
in Injury rehab

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Dr Squat Senior member

Dr Squat

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Like others, I suffer from continual muscle soreness. I have made a committment in 2011 to focus on recovery. I am alternating weekly visits to a massage therapist and a chiropractor. This is expensive and time consuming but history tells me that it really help with recovery. Ideally I would do like to do both on a weekly basis.

Interested in other views on the value of this. Both as recovery and also as a preventitive measure.

Craig

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Peachy Senior member

Peachy

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I have been going to a acupuncture man for the last few months for back issues and I will never ever stop going now.

He does deep tissue massage and all sorts to sort my back out. Its amazing when someone can feel whats wrong with you before you tell them. I mainly went for my lower back and after being to so many physios i thort it would never get fixed. But he is also fixing so many other things that you just forget are there and learn to live with. Its totally worth it. He can even tell that i injured my tailbone when i was young and is working on all the scar tissue there. I think it should be part of everyones rountine. So many things we do with our bodies that are not natural that cause problems

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nate225 Veteran member

nate225

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I saw a new research article on recovery & massage at the gym - didn't show any real benefits from what I recall in lactate clearance (and whatever other indicators of recovery they used).

The rugby guys had this - your bro should be able to find it for you.

In my literature review of recovery modalities a few years back (THE VALIDITY OF MASSAGE, HYDROTHERAPY & HYPERBARIC OXYGENATION AS RECOVERY ACCELERANTS) I found the following with regards to massage:

Massage therapy has been utilised in sports for many years and has become almost standard practice for many athletes especially those involved in contact or highly physical sports. So does massage actually decrease recovery times for athletes?

Many coaches, physiotherapist, massage practitioners and athletes attest to the recovery related benefits associated with the use of post-exercise massage, as do Reaburn & Jenkins (1996) citing benefits such as increased blood flow, temporary flexibility gains and psychological benefits. However

a large body of literature does not conclusively support these claims (Brooks, Woodruff, Wright & Donatelli, 2005; Weerapong, Hume & Kolt, 2005; Sykaras, Mylonas, Malliaropoulos, Zakas & Papacostas, 2003; Robertson, Watt & Galloway, 2004).

One possible reason for the lack of literary support from the literature given this treatment’s widespread popularity within sporting circles could be associated with the wide variance in the study methods used between researchers, as well as the poor experimental control of many of the studies.

There is also the difficulty of assessing which recovery variables should be measured and what performance outcomes should be used. Factors critical to the validity of these studies were often overlooked, and according to Robertson et al. included a lack of standardisation of massage duration,

warm-up regimens, as well as basic inconsistencies in the work preceding the massage therapy (Robertson et al. 2004).

Several recent studies have however lent support to the claims of enhanced recovery through the use of massage techniques. In a study utilising elite female Tae Kwon Do athletes, Sykaras et al. (2003)

showed that massage between sets of exercise significantly reduced the fatigue associated decrease associated with peak isokinetic eccentric torque as measured using the Cybex Norm. However this recovery benefit did not carry over to the athlete’s peak isokinetic concentric torque. Brooks et al. (2005) conducted a study into the effects of a 5 minute forearm/hand massage between measurements of maximal grip strength. The results strongly supported the use of massage as opposed to either of the control techniques (passive range of motion & passive recovery technique) when maintaining grip strength is important. The applications of these findings could apply to a number of sports including rock-climbing, powerlifting, wrestling and racket sports.

In a well controlled study Robertson et al. (2004) looked at the effect of leg massage on the recovery of male athletes after high intensity cycling. They found no significant differences between blood lactate clearance times or the power generated (maximum and mean) by massaged or control

(passive recovery) group athletes. They did however find significant support for massage as a technique for lowering the fatigue index.

Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) is often cited by athletes as detrimental to their performance although the mechanisms of DOMS and its effect on performance remain inconclusive. Some types of massage techniques are purported to reduce DOMS by increasing oxygenated blood flow to injured areas, thereby increasing recovery speed through various mechanisms including the restoration of Calcium ion homeostasis and regulation of the inflammation process. Research on the effect of

massage on localised blood flow rates has however produced conflicting results (Cheung, Hume & Maxwell, 2003). Zainuddin, Newton, Sacco & Nosaka (2005) found that massage was effective at reducing DOMS as

well as reducing serum creatine kinase levels. However this did not equate to decreases in the recovery time for muscular strength. This finding supports the use of massage in situations where the pain associated with DOMS is hindering performance rather than the recovery of muscle function.

Moraska (2005) briefly explores the possible psychological effects of massage and how these could be beneficial to athletic performance. The limited number of studies cited suggest this may be an area deserving of further exploration.

Theory more than practical, in summation I stated:

Elite and aspiring athletes are constantly on the lookout for the ‘winning edge’ and such often resort to methods that may confer some benefit without actually being scientifically proven. The use of massage, hydrotherapy and hyperbaric oxygen therapies can be viewed in this light. There is not enough evidence from well controlled studies of significant sample size to support or refute the use of such modalities in regards to improving recovery times and thus enhancing the athlete’s performance.

The blood variables seem to be too transient to provide a clear picture, and future studies may wish to investigate anti-inflammatory markers that may be better indicators of recovery.

Given these findings athletes should be wary of investing time and money into such therapies in an attempt to obtain faster recovery.

There are however enough findings supporting the possible benefits of these treatments to warrant further research to clarify the role and effectiveness of massage, hydrotherapy and hyperbaric oxygen

therapies in relation to recovery.

All said I like massages even if they aren't directly helping me recover (and I somewhat believe they do) they certainly work for "mental freshness" for lack of a better descriptor.

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Tygrrh Member

Tygrrh

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A deep tissue massage is fantastic. I used to get one once a week and they pretty much fixed my headaches (from a car accident).

I am now a massage practitioner and while I haven't had any body builder clients (and would love to get my hands on one just to practice - I live in Wellington and if you are willing to be a guinea pig, PM me please :D) my usual sedentry clients feel a hell of a lot better after one. I have a client who competes in fights and his legs are stuffed but his words were "MAN after the massage the pain didn't come back for 4 days"

I'm all for massage

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nate225 Veteran member

nate225

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A deep tissue massage is fantastic. I used to get one once a week and they pretty much fixed my headaches (from a car accident).

I am now a massage practitioner and while I haven't had any body builder clients (and would love to get my hands on one just to practice - I live in Wellington and if you are willing to be a guinea pig, PM me please :D) my usual sedentry clients feel a hell of a lot better after one. I have a client who competes in fights and his legs are stuffed but his words were "MAN after the massage the pain didn't come back for 4 days"

I'm all for massage

Hope you've got strong hands, some of the boys here would be like massaging a brick wall! :grin:

I had a masseuse in Dunedin that used to work with a few BBers who was a rock climber..... good combination!

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steak Veteran member

steak

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Ive just finished reading

Journal of Australian Strength and Conditioning 2010 Supplement 2 - Current Trends and Practices - RECOVERY

by the Australian Strength and Conditioning Association

It goes through all the current pratcices

Active recovery

Compression clothing

Hydrotherapy (inclds contrast, immersion, pool work, etc)

Sauna

Sleep

Stretching

and Massage

Turns out the current level of practice is high although the current level of scientific knowledge is low. In fact it states....

"Massage is suggested to have many physiological benefits including: decrease in muscle tension and stiffness, increased healing rate of injured muscles and ligaments, reduced muscle pain, swelling and spasm, increased joint flexibility, increased range of motion, increased blood flow, decreased lactate concentrations, increased skin and muscle temperature, decreased anxiety, enhanced immune and endocrine performance"

it goes on to state.....

"Despite the widespread use of massage and the anecdotally reported positive benefits, there remains little quality scientific evidence to support or contest the above claims."

and

"While there is limited scientific support for the use of massage as a recovery tool consideration must be given to the lack of literature in the area, general poor quality of the literature and the differences in techniques utilized"

and

"Due to the insufficient research available and the anecdotal benefits of massage, this recovery technique should still be considered by athletes as a possible recovery tool"

Personally...I dont rate it as highly as Active Recovery, Contrast Hydrotherapy, good quality Sleep and napping :grin: keeping oneself flexible through correct exercise( eg Agile 8, Fantastic 5, Simple 6, Myo-facial Release etc) and post training stretching. In saying this these are all readily available techniques which are low cost and easily performed at any given time...even at home in most cases. Massage however costs more, both in monetary and time terms, especially if you relying on it as a sole recovery tool (I doubt many would) or even on a twice weekly basis. I guess you would have to use massage as a recovery tool on a very regular basis to really experience any "real" benefits ie; PWO massage the legs on leg day, upper body on chest, back, delts, arms sessions...a minimum of 2 sessions a week? Could be both time consuming and costly.

The other issue I have is that there is huge variety of techniques used in massage. Which one is a the real deal when it come to the best technique for recovery as a strength athlete? The practioner also has to be taken into account. A 110lb women hasnt got a shit show of getting in deep on my 310lb frame..unless she is going to be doing it standing on my back and digging her heals in. (No fetish) :grin:

So far as the journal suggests it would seem that there is a lack of sound science behind recovery. The journal states the following in terms of science/useage/technique.

Active recovery - Scientific Knowledge - LOW

Current practice - HIGH

Compression Clothing - Scientific Knowledge - LOW

Current practice - HIGH

Hydrotherapy- Scientific Knowledge - MEDIUM

Current practice - MED/HIGH

Hot water Immersion - Scientific Knowledge - LOW

Current practice - LOW/MED

Contrast Water Therapy- Scientific Knowledge - MED

Current practice - MED

Pool Recovery - Scientific Knowledge - LOW

Current practice - MED/HIGH

Massage - Scientific Knowledge -LOW

Current practice - HIGH

Sauna - Scientific Knowledge - LOW

Current practice - LOW

Sleep Scientific Knowledge - Low

Current practice - N/A

Stretching - Scientific Knowledge - LOW

Current practice - HIGH

97 international references where used to compile the journal to give you an idea of how comprehensive it is. Sadly the lack of sound science leaves us wondering a little where the "silver bullet" of recovery lies.

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Jenna Junior member

Jenna

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steak.... Journal of Australian Strength and Conditioning 2010 Supplement 2 - Current Trends and Practices - RECOVERY

really interesting article..

i come a sport and relaxation massage therapy background and worked with power lifters/touch/sevens and rugby players and some of them weren’t as big as some of the lifters on here but they still involved getting on top of the massage table to apply enough pressure to do any deep tissue work... ha

the techniques used for recovery and deep tissue vary from who trained you can to which part of the world ya come from... mental freshness and using massage in between games at like a sevens competition is where ive personally seen the most gains come from massage.. still under decided on how effective it is on actual recovery..

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