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,” KG Wakim and others, Archives of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, 1949.
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