Which statement describes a nervous-system related effect of sports massage?

• A. Nervous system relaxation
• B. Increased bone density
• C. Enhanced digestion
• D. Skin color change

Answer: (A)

Sports massage often triggers a relaxation response in the nervous system. Through the feel of touch, careful pressure, and rhythmic strokes, the body’s mechanoreceptors are activated in a way that reduces sympathetic activity and increases parasympathetic influence. This shift calms the nervous system, lowers muscle tension, and can lessen pain perception, which is the direct nervous-system-related effect described here.

Bone density changes require long-term mechanical loading of bones and are not driven by nervous-system responses to massage. Digestion is governed by gut function, and while the autonomic nervous system can influence it, massage’s primary noted effect in this context is relaxation rather than boosting digestive processes. Skin color change can occur with brief vasodilation, but it’s not the main nervous-system mediated outcome of sports massage.