Abstract des Autors

Although there have been frequent claims in the popular sports literature about the benefits of massage for the athlete, there is meager scientific evidence documenting the beneficial effects of massage. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of sports massage on lactate disappearance following short-term, exhaustive work. Twenty-two male subjects were randomly allocated to three groups following an exhaustive treadmill run. Group 1 recovered passively, Group 2 recovered while riding an stationary bicycle at 40% VO2max, and Group 3 recovered while having their legs massaged. Recovery lasted 20 min for all groups. Blood was sampled and lactate was determined at rest and at 3, 5, 9, 15, and 20 min postexercise. There were no differences among the groups for blood lactate at rest or 3, 5, or 9 min postexercise. The bicycle recovery group had significantly lower lactate levels than the passive recovery group at 15 and 20 min postexercise. It was concluded that (a) massage following exercise did not remove lactate better than passive recovery in a supine position, and (b) massage following exercise did not remove lactate as well as cycling at 40% of VO2max. Verf.-Referat