Massage Therapy and Muscle Recovery

Massage is one of the oldest recovery practices in sport, and modern research generally supports at least some of its reputation: several studies show massage after intense exercise can reduce the perception of muscle soreness and may modestly improve how quickly athletes feel ready to perform again.

The evidence for massage directly speeding up the underlying physiological repair process (as opposed to changing how soreness FEELS) is weaker and more mixed. That distinction matters — massage appears genuinely useful for comfort and readiness-to-train, even if it isn't a magic accelerator of the biological repair timeline itself.

For athletes without regular access to a massage therapist, foam rolling and self-massage tools appear to offer some similar soreness-reduction benefit, making them a reasonable, accessible substitute rather than a lesser option.