Massage Therapy with Red Ginger Essential Oil on Liver Enzymes (SGPT and SGPT) after Strenuous Physical Exercise

Strenuous physical activity can be harmful because it inhibits physiological processes in the body. Contracting muscles increase electron leakage from mitochondria, leading to the formation of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS). Oxidative stress induces cellular damage, especially in hepatocytes, shown by lipid peroxidation. The detrimental effects of strenuous physical exercise can be prevented by massage therapy. Massage therapy is one of the complementary treatments. To facilitate the implementation of massage therapy to increase comfort, a lubricant is needed in the form of massage oil in the form of red ginger essential oil. This study investigates the effects of massage therapy with red ginger essential oil on SGOT and SGPT levels in cricketers after strenuous exercise. The study included 27 cricketers who were divided randomly into three groups. The cricketers were given different treatments. Randomly allocate the subjects into three groups; P1: subjects receiving massage therapy with red ginger essential oil as a topical application after strenuous physical exercise; P2: subjects receiving massage therapy with a lotion after strenuous physical exercise; P3: subjects not receiving any massage therapy after strenuous physical exercise. SGOT and SGPT levels were measured in all groups prior to treatment (pre-test) and following treatment (post-test). The examination results indicate that group P1 has the lowest average SGOT levels at 17.56 U/L, in contrast to group P2 at 23.67 U/L and group P3 at 33.56 U/L. This research indicates too that the average SGPT level was lowest in group P1 (16.89 U/L) in comparison to group P2 (30.00 U/L) and group P3 (36.00 U/L). The study concludes that a potential solution to reduce the level of oxidative stress in order to improve the liver functions of cricketers resulting from strenuous exercises using red ginger essential oil combined with massage therapy may be considered.