Effects of friction massage of the popliteal fossa on dynamic changes in muscle oxygenation and ankle flexibility.

Only 12 healthy men aged 20 to 29 years were studied, so the results may not apply to patients with Achilles tendon tear, knee osteoarthritis, lower leg swelling, older adults, or women. The study compared the same people before and after massage, so there was no separate untreated group to show whether the changes would have occurred without massage. The massage lasted only 2 minutes, and measurements were taken for 20 minutes after it, so longer or repeated treatment was not tested. The outcomes were laboratory measures of muscle oxygenation and passive ankle range, not pain, function, injury recovery, or venous stasis. The ankle dorsiflexion result is unclear because the text says the increase was not statistically significant while Table 2 shows a p<0.01 asterisk. The study measured only the right leg, so it does not show whether the same response occurs on the left leg or in both legs.

Do not conclude that 2 minutes of friction massage over the popliteal fossa will improve ankle flexibility in patients. The ankle dorsiflexion change was not statistically significant, and the study used 12 healthy young men with no control group.