THE EFFECTS OF THAI MASSAGE ON LEG MUSCLE OXYGENATION AND TIME TO FATIGUE IN HEALTHY MALE SUBJECTS

Thai massage is a kind of alternative medicine commonly used in Thailand for relieving of muscle fatigue and pain. Several studies reported that it can increase blood circulation. This may be due to increasing muscle oxygenation and time to fatigue. However, there is no evidence to support. A cross-over study design was employed to evaluate the effects of Thai massage on leg muscle oxygenation, time to fatigue and muscle force. Twenty-six healthy males were allocated to receive isometric exercise by performing series of 10s of sustained contraction and 5s rest until they reach peripheral fatigue point where the quadriceps torque declined to less than 60% of peak torque in the last 10 times (control period). Conversely, they received a 60-minute session of Thai massage before isometric exercise (massage period). The results showed that after massage, the muscle oxygenation was significantly increased (79.47±9.24%) (P< 0.05) when comparing to control period (75.04±10.68%). In addition, the time to fatigue and quadriceps muscle force revealed no significant differences (P>0.05) although the massage period tended to have more prolonged duration (8.74±2.68 min.) than the control period (7.82±1.79min), and massage period showed higher quadriceps muscle force. As a result, Thai massage is effective to increase muscle oxygenation levels. Also, it seems to be associated with increased duration of isometric muscle fatigue and higher muscle force.