ABSTRACT
A study was designed to determine the effect of cooling down and massage on lower leg volume after heel-raising exercise in men. The subjects were six healthy athletes ranging in age from 18 to 23 years. Lower leg volume was measured at rest and after heel-raising exercise using Lundvall's volumetric method with a water-filled“boot”. Ten minutes of rhythmic heel-raising, performed at 45 times per minute, was monitored continuously using a mech-anograph.<BR>Immediately after the end of exercise, each subject lay in a relaxed supine position and the leg was raised to 45 degrees. A cuff was then attached around the thigh, and the cuff pressure was increased to occlude the leg circulation. The leg volume was then determined in a standing position. After the first measurement of the lower leg, three kinds of treatment were applied for each subject (no treatment, one minute walking : total seven minutes, one minute massage : total five minutes) .<BR>The results obtained were as follows ;<BR>1) The slopes of the recovery curve of lower leg volume were more gentle with no treatment than with cooling down and massage.<BR>2) The time constant (min) obtained from the decreasing curve of lower leg volume after heel-raising exercise was 10.2 for no treatment, 9.4 for cooling down and 6.4 for massage.<BR>3) The total fluid accumulation volume in the lower leg (ml/l lower leg) following heel-raising exercise was 450.9 for no treatment, 288.9 for cooling down and 198.6 for massage.<BR>It is suggested that such a disappearance of fluid accumulation in exercising muscles of the lower leg following cooling down and massage is due to a mechanical pump action against the surrouding local skeletal muscle tissues.