Massage therapy decreases pain and perceived fatigue after long-distance Ironman triathlon: a randomised trial

QUESTION: Can massage therapy reduce pain and perceived fatigue in the quadriceps of athletes after a long-distance triathlon race (Ironman)? DESIGN: Randomised, controlled trial with concealed allocation, intention-to-treat analysis and blinded outcome assessors. PARTICIPANTS: Seventy-four triathlon athletes who completed an entire Ironman triathlon race and whose main complaint was pain in the anterior portion of the thigh. INTERVENTION: The experimental group received massage to the quadriceps, which was aimed at recovery after competition, and the control group rested in sitting. OUTCOME MEASURES: The outcomes were pain and perceived fatigue, which were reported using a visual analogue scale, and pressure pain threshold at three points over the quadriceps muscle, which was assessed using digital pressure algometry. RESULTS: The experimental group had significantly lower scores than the control group on the visual analogue scale for pain (MD -7 mm, 95% CI -13 to -1) and for perceived fatigue (MD -15 mm, 95% CI -21 to -9). There were no significant between-group differences for the pressure pain threshold at any of the assessment points. CONCLUSION: Massage therapy was more effective than no intervention on the post-race recovery from pain and perceived fatigue in long-distance triathlon athletes. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Brazilian Registry of Clinical Trials, RBR-4n2sxr.