ArticleJournal of functional morphology and kinesiology2025
Sports Massage and Blood Flow Restriction Combined with Cold Therapy Accelerate Muscle Recovery After Fatigue in Mixed Martial Arts Athletes: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
Article in Journal of functional morphology and kinesiology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Short-Term Recovery Interventions Using Cryosauna, Cold-Water Immersion, and Foam Rolling in Mixed Martial Arts Athletes: A Polish Pilot Study.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Special Issue "Perspectives and Challenges in Sports Medicine for Combat Sports".Journal of functional morphology and kinesiology · 2026Article
- Two-Week Recovery Strategies to Enhance Performance Readiness in Martial Arts Athletes: A Pilot Study.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesThe purpose of this study is to quantitatively evaluate the combined effects of sports massage, blood flow restriction (BFR), and cold therapy on quadriceps recovery in mixed martial arts (MMA) athletes following eccentric exercise, focusing on muscle biomechanical properties, pain, and strength.
methodsThis randomized, single-blind clinical trial involved 36 men and women MMA-trained participants, divided into three groups: massage (n = 12) received massage, BFR/cool (n = 12) received combined BFR and cooling, and control (n = 12) received passive rest as a control. The fatigue protocol involved MMA fighters performing five sets of plyometric jumps on a 50 cm box until exhaustion, with 1-min breaks between sets. After that, the massage group received a 20-min massage overall using standardized techniques; BFR/cool underwent a 20-min alternating blood flow restriction (200 mmHg) and cooling treatment with ice bags on the quadriceps; and the final group served as the control group with passive rest and no intervention. Participants were assessed four times-before exercise, immediately after exercise, 24 h post-exercise (after two recovery sessions), and 48 h post-exercise (after four recovery sessions)-for perfusion unit (PU), muscle elasticity, pressure pain threshold (PPT), reactive strength index (RSI), and total quality recovery (TQR).
resultsThe statistical analysis revealed significant effects of both massage and BFR/cooling interventions across key recovery outcomes, with large effect sizes for time-related changes in RSI (
conclusionsThe study concludes that both massage and combined blood flow restriction with cooling interventions significantly enhance post-exercise recovery-improving muscle perfusion, elasticity, reactive strength, and perceived recovery-compared to passive rest.
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Registered trials
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