Effectiveness and safety of massage for athletic injuries: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

Researchers are planning a comprehensive review to examine whether massage therapy is effective and safe for treating sports injuries. Athletic injuries are common concerns for both athletes and healthcare providers, and massage therapy has become increasingly popular as a complementary treatment option. This study is actually a protocol, which means it outlines the plan for conducting a future systematic review rather than presenting final results. The research team will search multiple medical databases, including both English and Chinese sources, looking for randomized controlled trials that tested massage therapy for athletic injuries. They plan to examine studies published up until July 2021. The researchers will carefully evaluate the quality of each study, extract important data, and combine the findings to determine whether massage therapy truly helps people recover from sports injuries and whether it causes any harmful side effects. This type of comprehensive review is valuable because it brings together evidence from many different studies to provide a clearer picture of whether a treatment works. Once completed, this review will help patients and healthcare providers make more informed decisions about using massage therapy for athletic injuries. The findings will be published in a peer-reviewed medical journal, ensuring the analysis meets rigorous scientific standards. If you're considering massage therapy for a sports injury, consult with a licensed massage therapist or qualified healthcare provider experienced in sports medicine.

This systematic review protocol outlines methodology for evaluating massage therapy's effectiveness and safety in athletic injury management. Researchers will conduct comprehensive searches across seven databases (PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, CNKI, Wan Fang, CBMdisc, VIP) from inception through July 2021, focusing exclusively on randomized controlled trials. The protocol follows standard systematic review procedures including dual study selection, data extraction, risk of bias assessment using established tools, and meta-analysis where appropriate. As this is a protocol paper rather than completed research, no sample sizes, effect sizes, or clinical outcomes are yet available. The review aims to synthesize current evidence regarding massage therapy applications for athletic injuries, examining both therapeutic efficacy and adverse events. Clinical takeaway: Once completed, this review will provide evidence-based guidance for integrating massage therapy into sports injury treatment protocols, though practitioners should note the published protocol represents planned methodology rather than conclusive findings.