title: The effect of massage on localized lumbar muscle fatigue.
abstract: 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 2nd 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.
authors.affiliation: The Pacific Wellness Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. ttanaka@sympatico.ca
authors.forename: Tim Hideaki
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Gerry
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Leisman
authors.forename: Hidetoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mori
authors.forename: Kazushi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nishijo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001415:Back; D004576:Electromyography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008161:Lumbosacral Region; D008297:Male; D008405:Massage; D009119:Muscle Contraction / Q000502:physiology; D018763:Muscle Fatigue / Q000502:physiology*; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000502:physiology*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012146:Rest / Q000502:physiology; D013997:Time Factors