A Randomized Controlled Trial of Massage and Pneumatic Compression for Ultramarathon Recovery.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to examine the effectiveness of massage and pneumatic compression on recovery from a 161-km ultramarathon.
Results Summary
Massage provided immediate subjective benefits, reducing muscle pain and soreness post-treatment compared to supine rest. However, no extended subjective or functional benefits were observed beyond the immediate post-treatment period.
Population
Runners who completed the 2015 161-km Western States Endurance Run.
Effective Dosage
20-minute postrace session.
Duration
Single session.
Interactions
None mentioned.
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
massage | decrease | muscle pain and soreness ratings | runners who finished the race and completed the study | - | resulted in lower | #1 |
massage | decrease | overall muscular fatigue scores | runners who finished the race and completed the study | - | resulted in lower | #2 |
pneumatic compression | decrease | overall muscular fatigue scores | runners who finished the race and completed the study | - | resulted in lower | #3 |
massage | no change | 400-m run time | runners who finished the race and completed the study | - | no significant group or interaction effect | #4 |
pneumatic compression | no change | 400-m run time | runners who finished the race and completed the study | - | no significant group or interaction effect | #5 |
massage | no change | any outcome | runners who finished the race and completed the study | - | no significant differences between groups | #6 |
pneumatic compression | no change | any outcome | runners who finished the race and completed the study | - | no significant differences between groups | #7 |
Study Design Randomized controlled trial. Background Postexercise recovery techniques are widely used, but little research has examined their effectiveness. Objectives To examine the effectiveness of massage and pneumatic compression on recovery from a 161-km ultramarathon. Methods Participants in the 2015 161-km Western States Endurance Run were randomized to a 20-minute postrace intervention of massage, intermittent sequential pneumatic compression, or supine rest. Each subject completed two 400-m runs at maximum speed before the race and on days 3 and 5 after the race, and also provided muscle pain and soreness ratings and overall muscular fatigue scores before and for 7 days after the race. Results Among the 72 runners who finished the race and completed the study, comparison among intervention groups revealed no significant group or interaction effect on 400-m run time, but there was a significant (P<.0001) time effect. Immediately posttreatment, massage resulted in lower muscle pain and soreness ratings compared with the supine-rest control condition (P<.0001), while both massage (P<.0001) and pneumatic compression (P<.01) resulted in lower overall muscular fatigue scores compared with the control group. There were no significant differences between groups in any outcome 1 to 7 days after the race. Conclusion Single 20-minute sessions of postrace massage and intermittent sequential pneumatic compression provide some immediate subjective benefit. There is no evidence, however, that such treatments provide extended subjective or functional benefits of clinical importance. The trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT02530190). Level of Evidence Therapy, level 1b. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2016;46(5):320-326. Epub 23 Mar 2016. doi:10.2519/jospt.2016.6455.