Effect of sport massage on pressure pain threshold and tolerance in athletes under eccentric exercise

1st International Sport Science Tourism and Recreation-Student Congress, Antalya, Türkiye, 21 - 23 Mayıs 2014, ss.155

Extensive line of evidence suggest that pain threshold

and tolerance alters following exercise, although the

mechanisms have not been elucidated yet. In this study,

we investigated the role of sport massage on pressure

pain threshold and tolerance in athletes under eccentric

exercise. Ten male athletes aged 23 ± 1 years with 9.67 ±

3.04 years of athletic training were recruited for this

study. Following baseline measurements of pressure

pain threshold and tolerance from m. biceps brachii and

m. triceps brachii muscle and myofascial regions of the

dominant upper extremity by using a digital algometer,

subjects were underwent an acute bout of eccentric

exercise. Participants were completed 4 sets of eccentric

exercise each comprising 20 repetitions of lifting 80% of

their 1 RM by using a dumbbell. Pressure pain threshold

and tolerance tests were repeated 10, 20 and 30

minutes, and 24 and 48 hours following exercise. One

week after eccentric exercise, sport massage protocol

for 10 minutes was manually administered to the

dominant arm of the participants, and all measurements

were repeated at the same timeline as eccentric

exercise. Results are presented as mean + standarts

deviation. Data of the same timeline were analyzed by

using t test. A level of p<0.05 was accepted statistical

significant. Eccentric exercise resulted to increase the

pain tolerance from muscle and myofascia regions of m.

biceps and triceps brachii, and sport massage was found

to decrease the pain tolerance at 10 minutes from

muscle regions of m. biceps and triceps brachii, 10, 20

and 30 minutes from m. myofascial region of biceps

brachii, and 20 minutes, 24 and 36 hours from

myofascial region of m. triceps brachii following acute

bout of eccentric exercise in athletes. We concluded that

sport massage reduces the hypoalgesic response during

acute and delayed period of recovery after eccentric

exercise.Keywords: eccentric exercise, exercise-induced

hypoalgesia, sport massage, pain tolerance