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No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. Introduction: The aim of the present work was to perform a meta-analysis evaluating the impact of recovery techniques on delayed onset muscle soreness DOMS , perceived fatigue, muscle damage, and inflammatory markers after physical exercise. Overall, 99 studies were included. Massage was found to be the most powerful technique for recovering from DOMS and fatigue. The most powerful techniques for reducing inflammation were massage and cold exposure.
Perceived fatigue can be effectively managed using compression techniques, such as compression garments, massage, or water immersion. Keywords: meta-analysis, recovery, DOMS, fatigue, inflammation, muscle damage, intervention efficiency. Scientific evidence gathered during the past few decades has allowed the identification of the most efficient training strategies for improving physical performance.
However, maximizing the performance capacity of an athlete is not only a matter of training. It also depends on an optimal balance between training and recovery in order to prevent maladaptation to accumulated psychological and physiological stresses induced by the training load Meeusen et al. Indeed, competition and training can induce repeated eccentric contractions Ispirlidis et al.
Changes in the blood concentrations of muscle damage indicators [i. These exercise-induced perturbations can lead to a temporary reduction in muscular force Brown et al. In this context, it is important for coaches and sports scientists to optimize the recovery period in order to manage muscle damage and alleviate DOMS, inflammation, and fatigue, thereby allowing the athlete to feel less fatigued and decrease the risk of injury Cheung et al. In terms of the training frequency of elite athletes, a brief duration between two training sessions may not be enough to achieve a complete recovery Barnett, ; Minett and Duffield, , which is defined as the return to homeostasis of various physiological systems following metabolic and inflammatory challenges and muscle damage induced by exercise training sessions Hausswirth and Le Meur, Therefore, the choice of recovery techniques is of utmost importance to enable the athlete to perform during the next training session feeling rested, not fatigued, healthy, and injury-free Hausswirth and Le Meur, Several kinds of recovery interventions have been proposed to improve recovery after physical exercise Barnett, ; Bishop et al.
