The Effect of Swedish Massage Techniques on DOMS on The Gastrocnemius Muscle
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31851/hon.v9i1.20973Abstract
Futsal is a high-intensity sport that involves explosive and repetitive activity on the leg muscles, especially the gastrocnemius muscles. This condition often triggers delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) which can interfere with training performance, mobility comfort, and sustainability of adolescent athletes' participation. Therefore, an effective, safe, and applicative recovery strategy is needed. Swedish massage is one of the active recovery methods that is reported to be able to accelerate muscle recovery and reduce symptoms of DOMS. This study uses a quasi-experimental design with a one group pretest–posttest approach. A total of 17 futsal players (age 15.56 ± 0.79 years, body mass 58.59 ± 14.76 kg, height 165.06 ± 4.99 cm, BMI 21.43 ± 4.96 kg/m²) were involved in the study. DOMS levels in gastrocnemius muscle were measured using a Likert scale-based questionnaire before and after the intervention. The intervention in the form of a Swedish massage is given for ±30 minutes by a certified therapist. Data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon test with a significance level of p < 0.05. The results showed a significant decrease in DOMS scores after the Swedish massage, from 53.41 ± 7.05 in the pretest to 25.65 ± 4.18 in the posttest. Z values = −3.523 with p < 0.001 showed significant differences before and after the intervention. These findings indicate that Swedish massage effectively lowers DOMS in the gastrocnemius muscles of adolescent futsal players, in line with previous research that said massage can improve blood circulation, reduce metabolite accumulation, and decrease the perception of muscle pain after intense exercise.
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