Objective To explore the mechanism by which “Three Methods and Three Acupoints” massage improves motor function in sciatic nerve injury (SNI) rats by delaying denervated muscle atrophy. Methods Thirtysix male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided randomly into normal, sham operation, model, and massage groups (n=9). Rats in model and massage groups were subjected to SNI model establishment by the clamping method, and rats in the sham operation group underwent sciatic nerve exposure without clamping. Interventions were carried out in rats in the massage group from the 7th day after surgery. Point, pull, and knead techniques were applied to the Yinmen,Chengshan, and Yanglingquan acupoints in sequence, using an intelligent massage technique simulation instrument.Each acupoint was treated with each technique for 1 minute, once a day, with 1 day rest after 10 interventions,followed by another 10 day intervention. Rats in sham operation and model groups received the same duration of grasping and fixation treatment, and rats in normal group maintained routine feeding conditions. The hind limb grip force was measured before modeling and after 10 and 20 interventions to evaluate muscle strength. After 20 massage sessions, the rats were sacrificed and the right gastrocnemius muscle was removed for hematoxylin-eosin staining to observe muscle atrophy and measure the cross-sectional area of the muscle fibers. mRNA levels of CCNB1, CNTF,and MEF2A in the right gastrocnemius muscle tissue were detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction,paired box (PAX) 3, Desmin, hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) protein expression levels in the right gastrocnemius muscle were detected by Western blot, and MEF2C protein expression in the affected gastrocnemius muscle was detected by immunofluorescence. Results The hind limb grip force was significantly reduced in model rats compared with normal and sham operation groups (P<0. 01). The muscle fibers were also disordered in model rats, the muscle cells were significantly atrophied, and the cross-sectional area was significantly reduced ( P<0. 01), and mRNA expression levels of CCNB1, CNTF, and MEF2A, and protein levels of PAX3, Desmin, HGF, and MEF2C were lower compared with the normal and sham operation groups (P<0. 05). The hind limb grip force was significantly increased in the massage group compared with the model group (P<0. 01), the muscle fibers were atrophied but arranged in an orderly manner, and the cross-sectional area was significantly increased ( P<0. 01), and CCNB1,CNTF, and MEF2A mRNA and PAX3, Desmin, HGF, and MEF2C protein levels were significantly upregulated (P<0. 05). Conclusions “Three Methods and Three Acupoints” can promote the gene expression of CCNB1, CNTF,and MEF2A and protein levels of PAX3, Desmin, HGF, and MEF2C, promote the proliferation and differentiation of muscle satellite cells, repair nerve injury, delay denervated muscle atrophy, and improve the motor function in SNI rats.