The evidence is relatively new in massage therapy. It is now being conducted at Touch Research Institute at University of Miami School of Medicine, led by Dr. Tiffany Field. They have a website and in her books and touchpoints research that comes out has the info. In a study on Dancers, massage improved range of motion, mood, and performance, and then decreased stress hormone (cortisol) https://www6.miami.edu/touch-research/TRIResearch/massageres.htm.
There’s International Journal of Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork, Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, National Athletic Training Association are some good jouranls, you could also contact the American Massage Therapy Association, as they have or had a big push for massage in sports, I don’t know how to get a hold of their information as it is directly related. NATA is full of information supporting massage, which is good.
If you read about the effects of lymphatic drainage on massage in National Athletic Training Association and THE BEST resource that combines it all in a nice chunk so you may not need to go digging in all the information I gave. This resource is a book called “Therapuetic Massage in Athletics” by Pat Archer. This is a good as it is going to get until more research that is being done comes out, because this is SO NEW to massage, becuase of all the success, so it is just needing to grow, it’s still a baby.
You could contact the University of Washington athletic department as they have had a lot of success and this is where most of them are. Also Roosevelt Exercise Training Center, University of Washington Medical Center.
Physicians working with University of Florida athletes also would be good. It is quoted in the book “Therapeutic Massage and Athletics” that these physicians say the benefits to athletes on massage is based largely on subjective data, and these physicians are firm on their belief in Sports Massage. Also Athletic Trainers in the NBA also have GREAT information in the benefits of massage in athletics (basketball mainly because it is in fact the NBA).
Again, I will say that the book “Massage in Athletics” by Pat Archer, is the best bet with good information and the research to prove what is being said in the book about athletes benefiting from massage therapy.
I also would highly recommend contacting James Waslaski, orthomassage.net, he is the true advocate of sports massage where it is today, he is a famous LMT for sports massage, he was pre-med background, EMT, in addition.
I would also recommend reading “Orthopedic Massage: Theory and Technique” by Lowe, also would recommend Outcome-Based Massage”, from evidence to practice, by Carla-Krystin Andrade and Paul Clifford. This is a great one becuase it will actually tell you what the physiologic changing goals are for different stroke techniques in massage and their evidence supported. This is a must to understand the role, and hey the evidence is clear and GREATLY suppoprted by the medical community.
The information is poor in sports performance related journals because the gap has never really been bridged with Athletic Training and the Coaches Role together. The evidence is there if you follow the information I have provided.
And if for some reason you could not get a hold of these places or James Waslaski or anything, you can call my instructor at Western States Chiropractic College, His name is Nathan Nordstrom. He is the current President of American Massage Therapy Association Oregon Chapter, and he would VERY WELL KNOW the evidence to support the use o sports massage and massage in athletics. His website will give you his contact information and that is . I would actually recommend you Mike, to ask Nathan the same question you asked me and he could give you a much better answer that is not scattered like mine and search heavy. I would really recommend you contact Nathan first, and I will also be contacting him just in case you may not get a hold of him for some reason, school starts back up in 2 weeks.
Perhaps the U.S. Olympic Committee (however it is spelled) might help you as well as they have Olympic Sports Massage Therapists and Chiropractors. My previous Chiropractor Dr. Ted Forcum is really known as he was one of 2 to be selected to go the Bejiing China Olympics, and he would help you as well, his site is http://www.bimsportsinjuries.com. He would definately know of the evidenced based research for massage as he is the one who got me into this in the first place because he thought I would be a good one.
I hope this information is helpful as Mike has asked that I provide all my evidence in support of massage.
