Effect of deep tissue massage on reducing back pain in windsurfers

Background. The following paper describes back pain problems among windsurfers at different levels of advancement and a proposal for pain reduction by means of deep tissue massage (DTM). The following research assumption was accepted: windsurfers often suffer from back pain, and deep tissue massage may be a suitable tool for reduction of these complaints. The purpose of this study was to verify wthether deep tissue massage is an effective therapeutic approach for windsurfers.Material and methods. The study took place on the Hel Peninsula in Poland and involved thirty windsurfers in the age range between18 and 27 years at various levels of advancement. One session of deep tissue massage in the study group and a single heat treatment in the control group were carried out; heat therapy was applied in the subjects assuming a supine position on a heated massage table. In order to evaluate the therapeutic effects of the applied procedure, the NRS scale was used to test the level of back pain and the sit and reach test was used to test the range of motion and to evaluate the effects of therapy.Results. After the treatment, the mean level of pain in the control group decreased by 33.9% while in the study group this level decreased by 57.1% relative to the initial pre-treatment value in each group. The average score in the sit&reach test increased by 3.7% in the control group, while in the study group it increased by 10.4% relative to the initial pre-treatment values in these groups. As the level of windsurfer’s advancment increases, the therapeutic effect decreases, and the longer the time of the windsurfing session windsurfing was, the higher increase in back pain was noted. The average analgesic effect was the highest in the beginners, and then it sequentially decreased by 2.2% and 6.3% as the level of advancement increased. It was shown that the differences in the analgesic and relaxation effects between the test and control groups were not statistically significant.Conclusions. Both deep tissue massage and the application of heat had a positive effect on reduction of the back pain level and relaxation of the back muscles after windsurfing. Larger differences were noted in the post-treatment study after DTMapplication. Further studies on a larger study group are needed to confirm the effectiveness of DTM. Attention should be paid to injury prevention in windsurfers by taking breaks after each hour of the windsurfing session.