Massage & Runners: A DOMS Case Study

From 5K to Marathon: How Sports Massage Fits into a Runner’s Plan (and What It Can’t Do)

(A summary of research on massage, soreness, DOMS and performance for runners) Estimated read time: ~3–4 minutes

A lot of runners land on our table at The Massage Clinic with the same questions:

“Will sports massage make me faster?” and “Can it fix this soreness so I can train tomorrow?” We’ve looked closely at research on massage for delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), recovery and performance, and we want you to have the same realistic picture we have when we build your treatment plan.

The Problem

Running loads your tissues in a very specific way.

Long runs, speed work and hill sessions all create micro‑damage in muscle and connective tissue. That’s how your body adapts and gets stronger—but it also produces DOMS: soreness that ramps up 24–72 hours after a hard effort and can last several days. Systematic reviews on massage after strenuous exercise show that massage can reduce DOMS by a modest but meaningful amount and may help muscle performance recover more quickly, especially 48–72 hours after the effort.pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih+1

Performance is a different story.

A 2020 systematic review of sports massage on performance and recovery found that massage did not consistently improve direct performance measures (like time trials, maximal strength or VO₂ max) when used right before an event. However, massage did show benefits for perceived recovery and soreness. In other words, it’s not a shortcut to better race‑day numbers, but it can help you feel better between efforts and tolerate training more comfortably.pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih+1

Brief summary of the research (and how we use it)

A 2017 systematic review and meta‑analysis pooled data from 23 randomized controlled trials on massage for DOMS and found that post‑exercise massage reduced muscle soreness overall, with the largest effects at 48 and 72 hours after hard exercise. Another meta‑analysis on massage for DOMS in specific muscle groups reported roughly a 20–30% reduction in reported soreness, though effects on strength and swelling were more

mixed.pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih+2

The 2020 sports‑massage review in BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine concluded that “the direct usage of massages just for gaining results in sport and exercise performance seems questionable,” but that massage is indirectly connected to performance by improving recovery, reducing pain and potentially allowing more consistent training.bmjopensem.bmj+1

For us at The Massage Clinic, this means we don’t sell sports massage as a performance hack; we frame it as a recovery and durability tool.

We schedule sessions around your training cycle (long runs, key workouts, races), aim to reduce soreness when you need to get back out there and adjust depth and timing so we’re not making you heavier‑legged before important efforts. For you as a runner, the helpful frame is: massage can help you feel better between sessions and may help you maintain consistency, but your training plan still does the real performance work.

A practical takeaway: if you’re training for a longer race, think of sports massage as something you build into your micro‑cycle—e.g., within 24–72 hours after key workouts or races—rather than something you do once in a while when everything already hurts.

At The Massage Clinic, we design runner‑specific sessions that respect your training load and race calendar, and we’re here to help if you need us.

References

• Poppendieck W, et al. Massage therapy influences post-exercise recovery and muscle performance after strenuous exercise: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Front Physiol. 2017;8:747. Found that massage reduced DOMS and improved some measures of muscle performance, especially 48–72 hours after exercise.[pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih]​

• Torres R, et al. Effects of massage on delayed-onset muscle soreness, swelling and recovery of muscle function: a systematic review. J Athl Train. 2012;47(5):548‑557. Reported that massage alleviated DOMS by ~30% and reduced swelling, with mixed effects on muscle function.[pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih]​

• Davis HL, Alabed S, Chico TJA. Effect of sports massage on performance and recovery: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ Open Sport Exerc Med. 2020;6(1):e000614. Concluded that massage did not consistently improve direct performance outcomes but may benefit recovery and perceived soreness.pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih+1

• Nunes GS, et al. Massage therapy slightly decreased pain intensity after habitual running. J Bodyw Mov Ther. 2020;24(1):14‑19. Found small but significant reductions in quadriceps pain in runners after massage compared with sham.[sciencedirect]​