Health efficacy of electrically operated automated massage on muscle properties, peripheral circulation, and physio-psychological variables: a narrative review

Abstract

Abstract Manual massage, commonly used by healthy individuals for well-being, is an ancient practice requiring the intervention of a trained and experienced physiotherapist. On the other hand, automated massage is carried out by machines or modalities without or with minimal control of a human operator. In the present review, we provide a literature analysis to gather the effects of automated massage on muscle properties, peripheral circulation and psychophysiological variables as reported through psychometric and neurophysiological evaluations of each modality ranging from massage beds and whole-body vibrations to robotic massage. A computerized search was performed in Google Scholar, PubMed, and ResearchGate using selected key search terms, and the relevant data were extracted. The findings of this review indicate that for vibration massage, whole-body vibration exposure with relatively lower frequency and magnitude can be safely and effectively used to induce improvements in peripheral circulation. As for massage chair and mechanical bed massage, while most studies report on positive changes, the lack of strong clinical evidence renders these findings largely inconclusive. As for robotic massage, we discuss whether technological advances and collaborative robots might reconcile active and passive modes of action control during a massage and offer new massage perspectives through a stochastic sensorimotor user experience. This transition faculty, from one mode of control to the other, might definitely represent an innovative conceptual approach in terms of human–machine interactions.

Keywords

• Automated massage
• Muscle properties
• Peripheral circulation
• Robotic massage