Massage and Bodywork Licensing Examination Physiological Effects of Massage 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which physiological mechanism best explains why massage reduces delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS)?
- Increased lactic acid production
- Enhanced lymphatic drainage reducing inflammatory mediators (Correct answer)
- Decreased mitochondrial activity
- Elevated cortisol secretion
Correct answer: Enhanced lymphatic drainage reducing inflammatory mediators
Massage reduces DOMS primarily by enhancing lymphatic drainage, which helps clear inflammatory mediators like prostaglandins and cytokines from the tissue.
Question 2: What happens to venous blood flow when effleurage strokes are applied toward the heart?
- It reverses direction due to valve pressure
- It is unaffected because veins are deep
- It is mechanically assisted, improving return to the heart (Correct answer)
- It decreases as arterial pressure increases
Correct answer: It is mechanically assisted, improving return to the heart
Centripetal effleurage mechanically compresses veins and pushes blood toward the heart, assisting venous return and reducing peripheral pooling.
Question 3: Which neurotransmitter is primarily responsible for the pain-inhibiting effect of massage on the gate control theory of pain?
- Acetylcholine
- Substance P
- Serotonin (Correct answer)
- Norepinephrine
Correct answer: Serotonin
Serotonin released during massage activates large-diameter afferent fibers that 'close the gate' at the dorsal horn, inhibiting pain signal transmission.
Question 4: What is the primary physiological effect of massage on interstitial fluid?
- It converts interstitial fluid to plasma
- It moves interstitial fluid into lymphatic capillaries, reducing edema (Correct answer)
- It increases interstitial fluid production
- It causes interstitial fluid to re-enter arterial capillaries
Correct answer: It moves interstitial fluid into lymphatic capillaries, reducing edema
Massage pressure moves excess interstitial fluid into lymphatic capillaries through their one-way valves, which is why massage effectively reduces non-pitting edema.
Question 5: How does massage affect the parasympathetic nervous system in a client experiencing chronic stress?
- It suppresses parasympathetic tone to increase alertness
- It activates the parasympathetic branch, promoting rest and recovery (Correct answer)
- It has no effect on autonomic balance
- It shifts the client toward sympathetic dominance
Correct answer: It activates the parasympathetic branch, promoting rest and recovery
Massage stimulates parasympathetic activity, lowering heart rate, blood pressure, and cortisol while promoting the 'rest and digest' state that counters chronic stress.
Question 6: Which of the following describes the mechanical effect of pétrissage on muscle tissue?
- It increases calcium ion release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum
- It compresses and lifts muscle fibers, breaking adhesions and improving circulation (Correct answer)
- It triggers motor neuron firing to contract the muscle
- It reduces blood flow by compressing arterioles
Correct answer: It compresses and lifts muscle fibers, breaking adhesions and improving circulation
Pétrissage kneads and lifts muscle tissue, mechanically separating fibers, breaking down adhesions, and milking metabolic waste products into local circulation.
Question 7: What is the effect of sustained ischemic compression on a trigger point?
- It permanently eliminates the sarcomere
- It causes reactive hyperemia that flushes the area and releases the contraction knot (Correct answer)
- It increases local hypoxia and worsens the trigger point
- It stimulates Golgi tendon organs to contract the muscle
Correct answer: It causes reactive hyperemia that flushes the area and releases the contraction knot
Sustained pressure on a trigger point temporarily occludes blood flow, and when released, reactive hyperemia floods the area with oxygenated blood, helping resolve the hyperirritable spot.
