Massage or stretching? Effectiveness in reducing muscle pain in older adults doing strength training

Abstract

Introduction: globally, the population is aging; it is expected that by 2030, one in six people will be over 60 years old. Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) is a structural pain that frequently appears 24 to 48 hours after unusual or high-intensity exercise. In older adults, DOMS can be more debilitating due to age-related physiological changes, such as decreased muscle elasticity and mass. Although massage therapy and static stretching are proposed as treatments, their specific impact on reducing DOMS in this population is not well documented.
Objective: to compare the effectiveness of relaxation massage therapy and static stretching in reducing the occurrence of delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) symptoms in people over 60 years of age after a physical intervention program.
Methodology: we conducteda quasi-experimental, randomized, single-blind study. The sample consisted of 30 individuals over 60 years of age (6 men, 24 women), randomly divided into two groups of 15 participants each: a massage therapy group and a static stretching group. All participants performed a 60-minute resistance training intervention using elastic bands to induce delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) in the trapezius muscle. Pain intensity (Numerical Analog Scale - NAS), pressure pain threshold (Algometer), and functional status (Functional Pain Scale - FPS) were assessed. Because the data did not follow a normal distribution, the non-parametric Friedman and Durbin-Conover tests were used for comparisons.
Results: both groups showed a reduction in mean NAS and FPS scores, suggesting an overall improvement. The Friedman test showed significant overall differences (p < .001). Post-hoc comparisons (Durbin-Conover) revealed a statistically significant difference between the groups in the final NAS (p = 0.002), favoring massage therapy. However, no significant differences were found between the groups for the final EFD (p = 0.615) or the final Dolorimeter (p = 0.900).
Discussion: the results suggest that both interventions had a positive impact on reducing DOMS, which is consistent with previous studies. The post-hoc analysis indicated that massage therapy had a more consistent impact on reducing perceived pain (NAS). The lack of significant differences in functional measures (EFD) between the groups suggests that both interventions may have similar effects on this specific variable.
Conclusions: the study demonstrated that both static stretching and relaxation massage therapy are effective strategies for reducing DOMS in older adults. However, the results indicate that massage therapy has a more consistent impact on reducing pain perception and improving muscle function, suggesting that it could be the preferred intervention for a faster recovery.