Dose-dependency of massage-like compressive loading on recovery of active muscle properties following eccentric exercise: rabbit study with clinical relevance.
BACKGROUND
Optimal strategies for massage and its use in athletes have not been conclusively demonstrated.   PURPOSE/STUDY DESIGN:  Effects of varying duration, frequency and magnitude of massage-like compressive loading (MLL) on recovery of skeletal muscle active properties (torque angle (T-Θ) relationship) following exercise-induced muscle injury were studied.


METHODS
Twenty-four New Zealand White rabbits were surgically instrumented with bilateral peroneal nerve cuffs for stimulation of hindlimb tibialis anterior muscles. Following a bout of eccentric exercise (EEX), rabbits were randomly assigned to a MLL protocol of 0.25 or 0.5 Hz at 5 or 10 N for 15 or 30 min. T-Θ was obtained for 21 tibiotarsal joint angles pre- and post-EEX and post 4 consecutive days of MLL. Muscle wet weight and H&E sections were obtained following final treatments.


RESULTS
EEX produced an average 61.8%±2.1 decrease in peak isometric torque output. Differences in torque recovery were found between magnitudes (5 and 10 N; p=0.004, n=12) and frequencies (0.25 and 0.5 Hz; p=0.012, n=12), but no difference for durations (15 and 30 min) with the 0.5 Hz, 10 N, 15 min protocol showing greatest recovery 4 days post-EEX. MLL muscle (n=12) wet weight was 3.22±0.18 g, while no MLL tissue (n=9) weighed 3.74±0.22 g (p=0.029). Histological analysis showed a difference in torn fibres between low-parameter and high-parameter MLL (6.5±1.04 vs 0.5±0.29 per 0.59 mm(2), p=0.005).


CONCLUSIONS
Results showed a dose-response effect for magnitude and frequency of MLL on recovery of active muscle properties following EEX. Future studies will investigate underlying biological mechanisms for this enhanced recovery of muscle function.
Division of Sports Medicine, Department of Family Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43221, USA.
Caroline
C
Haas
Timothy A
TA
Butterfield
Yi
Y
Zhao
Xiaoli
X
Zhang
David
D
Jarjoura
Thomas M
TM
Best
D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D006614:Hindlimb; D008405:Massage / Q000379:methods*; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000293:injuries* / Q000502:physiology; D010805:Physical Conditioning, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D011312:Pressure; D011817:Rabbits; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000502:physiology; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000502:physiology*; D019415:Torque