Key result
Manual massage and foam rolling reduce arterial stiffness and blood pressure in healthy adults.
Why the study?
The study aimed to explore current evidence on how different massage modalities (manual massage or foam rolling), with or without strength training, influence cardiovascular and autonomic function in healthy individuals.
Does manual massage or foam rolling with or without strength training improve hemodynamic and autonomic responses in healthy adults?
Does manual massage or foam rolling with or without strength training improve hemodynamic and autonomic responses in healthy adults?
Manual massage and foam rolling may serve as non-pharmacological adjuvant therapies for blood pressure control and improving arterial compliance in healthy adults.
May support adjunctive BP and stiffness reduction in healthy adults; leaves open confirmation in RCTs and clinical populations.
Objectives: This review explores the current evidence on how different massage modalities, either manual (MM) or using foam rolling (FR), with or without strength training, influence cardiovascular and autonomic function in healthy individuals. Methods: A search was performed in CINAHL, Cochrane Library, PubMed®, and SciELO databases on 14 April 2025. Results: Among the 5125 studies retrieved in the database search, 7 were selected for the present review. The included studies pointed to an improvement in hemodynamic and autonomic responses, characterized by reduced arterial stiffness and blood pressure and an increase in nitric oxide concentration and blood flow. These findings suggest that physical exercise prescribers should consider the hemodynamic and autonomic effects promoted by massage (MM or FR). Conclusions: A change in arterial compliance, followed by a hypotensive effect on systolic blood pressure, reinforces the role of physical activity as a non-pharmacological agent and highlights the need for inclusion in the different groups that need adjuvant help for blood pressure control.
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Monteiro et al. (2025) conducted a review in Healthy individuals (n=7). Manual massage or foam rolling, with or without strength training was evaluated on Hemodynamic and autonomic responses. Manual massage and foam rolling, with or without strength training, improved hemodynamic and autonomic responses, characterized by reduced arterial stiffness and blood pressure in healthy adults.
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