International Journal of Human Movement and Sports Sciences Vol. 14(3), pp. 790 - 795
DOI: 10.13189/saj.2026.140323
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The Effect of Massage on Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) in Athletes Undergoing High-Intensity Training

Hilmainur Syampurma ¹, Wilda Welis ^2,*, Darni ¹, Erpita Yanti ³, Rully Effendi ⁴, Arif Selfa Selvani ^1
1 Department of Physical Education and Sport, Faculty of Sports Science, Universitas Negeri Padang, Indonesia
² Department of Health & Recreation, Faculty of Sport Science, Universitas Negeri Padang, Indonesia
³ Department of Nursing, Faculty of Psychology and Nursing, Universitas Negeri Padang, Indonesia
⁴ Sport Science, STOK Bina Guna Medan, Indonesia

ABSTRACT

Delayed-onset muscle soreness, or DOMS, often happens in sports that require repeated and intense movements. It happens mainly because there is tiny damage to the muscle fibers and an inflammation process that makes the nerves more sensitive. Different ways have been tried to lessen its impact. However, they remain less effective. This study wants to find out how well massage works as a different way to help with DOMS after doing a lot of intense exercise. This study used a quasi-experimental approach with two groups, where both groups were tested before and after the treatment, to look at how massage manipulation (X1) compared to no massage (X2) affected DOMS pain (Y). It involved 26 participants. The massage was done following the FITT guidelines, and the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) was used as a tool for the research. After gathering the data, it was examined using the Mann-Whitney Test through the IBM SPSS 26 software. With an average rating of 7.77 for the massage group and 19.23 for the control group, the results demonstrated significant differences (p <0.05). This result shows that, with an 11.46% difference, the intervention group's DOMS severity decreased more significantly than that of the control group. In comparison to the control group, this study found that massage intervention dramatically decreased the severity of DOMS following high-intensity exercise. Massage recipients showed greater functional mobility, less discomfort in their muscles, and a quicker recovery. These results show that massage is a useful post-exercise recovery technique for minimizing muscle injury and promoting physiological recuperation. The study thus endorses its use in clinical and sporting contexts. It is anticipated that coaches, players, and the general public will use the study's findings as a guide when applying the best recovery techniques following strenuous activity.

KEYWORDS
High Intensity Activity, DOMS, Massage

Cite This Paper in IEEE or APA Citation Styles
(a). IEEE Format:
[1] Hilmainur Syampurma , Wilda Welis , Darni , Erpita Yanti , Rully Effendi , Arif Selfa Selvani , "The Effect of Massage on Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) in Athletes Undergoing High-Intensity Training," International Journal of Human Movement and Sports Sciences, Vol. 14, No. 3, pp. 790 - 795, 2026. DOI: 10.13189/saj.2026.140323.

(b). APA Format:
Hilmainur Syampurma , Wilda Welis , Darni , Erpita Yanti , Rully Effendi , Arif Selfa Selvani (2026). The Effect of Massage on Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) in Athletes Undergoing High-Intensity Training. International Journal of Human Movement and Sports Sciences, 14(3), 790 - 795. DOI: 10.13189/saj.2026.140323.