ArticleBritish journal of sports medicine2004
Effects of leg massage on recovery from high intensity cycling exercise.
Article in British journal of sports medicine, 2004. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 106 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effects of Various Physical Interventions on Reducing Neuromuscular Fatigue Assessed by Electromyography: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Frontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology · 2021Pooled it
- Effect of sports massage on performance and recovery: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMJ open sport & exercise medicine · 2020Pooled it
- Dynamic soft tissue mobilisation increases hamstring flexibility in healthy male subjects.British journal of sports medicine · 2005Trial
- Mechanisms and Efficacy of Massage Therapy for Post-Exercise Muscle Repair: A Narrative Review.Muscles (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- The effect of sports massage on state anxiety in elite soccer players.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
- The Effects of Massage Therapy on Sport and Exercise Performance: A Systematic Review.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- The effect of soft tissue manipulation and rest on knee extensor muscles fatigue: Do torque parameters and induced perception following muscle fatigue have enough reliability?Journal of family medicine and primary care · 2020Article
- Selective Effects of Manual Massage and Foam Rolling on Perceived Recovery and Performance: Current Knowledge and Future Directions Toward Robotic Massages.Frontiers in physiology · 2020Review
- Effects of different recovery methods on postboxing sparring fatigue substances and stress hormones.Journal of exercise rehabilitation · 2019Article
- Effect of Capacitive and Resistive electric transfer on changes in muscle flexibility and lumbopelvic alignment after fatiguing exercise.Journal of physical therapy science · 2018Article
- The effects of self-massage on osteoarthritis of the knee: a randomized, controlled trial.International journal of therapeutic massage & bodywork · 2013Article
- Recovery in soccer : part ii-recovery strategies.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2013Review
- Different recovery methods and muscle performance after exhausting exercise: comparison of the effects of electrical muscle stimulation and massage.Biology of sport · 2012Article
- The physiological effects of low-intensity neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) on short-term recovery from supra-maximal exercise bouts in male triathletes.European journal of applied physiology · 2012Article
- The role of massage in sports performance and rehabilitation: current evidence and future direction.North American journal of sports physical therapy : NAJSPT · 2008Article
- Effect of lower limb massage on electromyography and force production of the knee extensors.British journal of sports medicine · 2006Article
- Effects of massage on delayed-onset muscle soreness, swelling, and recovery of muscle function.Journal of athletic trainingArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe effect of massage on recovery from high intensity exercise is debatable. Many studies on massage suffer from methodological flaws such as poor standardisation of previous exercise, lack of dietary control, and inappropriate massage duration.
objectiveTo examine the effects of leg massage compared with passive recovery on lactate clearance, muscular power output, and fatigue characteristics after repeated high intensity cycling exercise, with the conditions before the intervention controlled and standardised.
methodsNine male games players participated. They attended the laboratory on two occasions one week apart and at the same time of day. Dietary intake and activity were replicated for the two preceding days on each occasion. After baseline measurement of heart rate and blood lactate concentration, subjects performed a standardised warm up on the cycle ergometer. This was followed by six standardised 30 second high intensity exercise bouts, interspersed with 30 seconds of active recovery. After five minutes of active recovery and either 20 minutes of leg massage or supine passive rest, subjects performed a second standardised warm up and a 30 second Wingate test. Capillary blood samples were drawn at intervals, and heart rate, peak power, mean power, and fatigue index were recorded.
resultsThere were no significant differences in mean power during the initial high intensity exercise bouts (p = 0.92). No main effect of massage was observed on blood lactate concentration between trials (p = 0.82) or heart rate (p = 0.81). There was no difference in the maximum power (p = 0.75) or mean power (p = 0.66) in the subsequent Wingate test, but a significantly lower fatigue index was observed in the massage trial (p = 0.04; mean (SD) fatigue index 30.2 (4.1)% v 34.2 (3.3)%).
conclusionsNo measurable physiological effects of leg massage compared with passive recovery were observed on recovery from high intensity exercise, but the subsequent effect on fatigue index warrants further investigation.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.