Well who would have thought that massage would be popular amongst elite athletes as one of the best methods for recovery? Certainly no one who has worked in the industry and seen the results. However, this study (Practices and perceptions of recovery modalities in professional tennis players: Steve Bedford, Samantha Wilson-Thain, Craig Barden, Peter K. Thain), shows it has value from the point of view of professional tennis players. I admit I am biased in favour of massage as I have seen it give amazing benefits so many times, but my bias doesn’t mean I am wrong!
The reports states “sleep and massage were perceived as the two most effective recovery strategies (93% and 88.4% respectively)”.
It goes on to encourage athlete and practitioner education to help improve the use and effectiveness of recovery strategies and ultimately outcomes. I agree that the profession needs to improve the use and effectiveness of recovery strategies for athletic performance.
72% of respondents perceived massage to have major effectiveness in recovery, with only sleep scoring higher. I would say some of this can be attributed not only to the actual hands-on work but the therapeutic relationship massage therapists build with their clients. For elite athletes, their body and it’s recovery are crucial to getting to the top of the profession and to staying there. Having trust in the people looking after you opens the doors to new modalities and the recognition that the therapist is working in the best interests of the athlete. This is further driven, as the report acknowledges, by experienced therapists guided by clinical reasoning and evidence-based practice in everything they do.
This is a really positive study into the value of massage for elite athletes, in this case tennis players, but it is equally valid in other sports and for those amateur athletes looking to perform at their best. I look forward to seeing more work undertaken to show the advantages of massage for recovery and how best to deliver it.