Purpose: Massage is often used as an adjunct to exercise in sports and therapeutic settings, but its effects on muscle performance have not been conclusively determined. The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of using manual massage to improve power grip performance immediately following maximal exercise in health adults. Methods: Fifty-two volunteer massage school client, stadd, faculty, and students were randomized to receive either a 5-minute forearm/hand massage of effleurage and friction (to either the dominant hand or non-dominant hand side), 5 minutes of passive shoulder and elbow range of motion, or 5 minutes of non-intervention rest. Power grip measurements – baseline, post-exercise, and post-intervention – were performed on both hands using a commercial hand dynamometer. These measurements preceded and followed 3 minutes of maximal exercise using a commercial isometric hand exerciser that produced fatigue to 60% of baseline strength. Results: After 3 minutes of isometric exercise, power grip was consistently fatigued to at least 60% of baseline with recovery occuring over the following 5 minutes. Statistical analyses involved single-factor repeated measures analyses of variance with Bonferroni a priori tests that demonstrated statistically significant differences in intervention and natural muscle recovery effects between groups. Massage had a greater effect than no massage or placebo on grip performance after fatigue, especially in the non-dominant hand group. Natural muscle recovery was shown to be a a significant factor in grip performance after exercise, with less natural muscle recovery occuring in the massage groups, and thus, suggesting that massage had a greater effect on overall grip performance in these two groups. Conclusions: Manual massage to the forearm and hand after maximal exercise produced greater effects than non-massage on post-exercise grip performance. At five minutes post-exercise, massage was shown to have the greater effect on grip performance, and this supported the hypothesis that manual massage to the muscles of grip would have an immediately positive and greater effect on performance, as shown by the physiological response. In this sample of health adults natural muscle recovery of grip strength was not equal on both sides, a finding that suggests that natural muscle recovery is not the same between the dominant and non-dominant hand; however, neither the results of this study, nor a review of the literature provides a basis for any definitive conclusion regarding the imbalance. The present data do support the use of a five minute manual massage to assist immediate grip performance after fatigue in healthy subjects. The recommendation is made that future studies be done to determine the differences in natural muscle recovery between an individual’s dominant and non-dominant hands following exercise, and the effects of response to massage.
