Effect of massage on blood flow in skeletal muscle
Three articles on PainSci cite Hovind 1974: 1. Does Massage Therapy Work? 2. The Pressure Question in Massage Therapy 3. Does Massage Increase Circulation?
original abstract †Abstracts here may not perfectly match originals, for a variety of technical and practical reasons. Some abstacts are truncated for my purposes here, if they are particularly long-winded and unhelpful. I occasionally add clarifying notes. And I make some minor corrections.
Skeletal muscle blood flow was measured before, during and after short application of different forms of massage using the local 133Xenon washout method for determination of blood flow. During maneouvres with tapotement (hacking) an increase in blood flow comparable to exercise hyperemia was observed, and this increase was ascribed to repetitive contractions. A prolonged hyperemia found after tapotement was ascribed to the traumatic procedure. During and after petrissage (kneading) the tissue perfusion did not change significantly. It is uncertain whether the reported changes in blood flow are related to therapeutic effects of massage, but the squeezing effect of petrissage might be important for lymphatic drainage.
related content
- “The effects of massage on the circulation in normal and paralyzed extremities,” Wakim et al, Archives of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, 1949.
This page is part of the PainScience BIBLIOGRAPHY, which contains plain language summaries of thousands of scientific papers & others sources. It’s like a highly specialized blog. A few highlights:
- Inciting events associated with lumbar disc herniation. Suri 2010 Spine J.
- Prediction of an extruded fragment in lumbar disc patients from clinical presentations. Pople 1994 Spine (Phila Pa 1976).
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- Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of universal school-based mindfulness training compared with normal school provision in reducing risk of mental health problems and promoting well-being in adolescence: the MYRIAD cluster randomised controlled trial. Kuyken 2022 Evid Based Ment Health.
- No long-term effects after a three-week open-label placebo treatment for chronic low back pain: a three-year follow-up of a randomized controlled trial. Kleine-Borgmann 2022 Pain.