Effects of Massage - Research and Published Studies

If you're interested in published, scientific studies, listed below is just a sampling of research that has been conducted on the effects of Licensed Massage Therapy on various injuries and disorders.

Anderson PG, Cutshall SM. Massage therapy: a comfort intervention for cardiac surgery patients. Clin Nurse Spec. 2007;21(3):161-5; quiz 166-7.

Barlow A, Clarke R, Johnson N, Seabourne B, Thomas D, Gal J. Effect of massage of the hamstring muscles on selected electromyographic characteristics of biceps femoris during sub-maximal isometric contraction. Int J Sports Med. 2007;28(3):253-6.

Beider S, Mahrer N, Gold J. Pediatric Massage Therapy: An Overview for Clinicians. Pediatric Clinics of North America. 2007;54(6).

Bernas M, Witte M, Kriederman B, Summers P, Witte C. Massage therapy in the treatment of lymphedema. Rationale, results, and applications. IEEE Eng Med Biol Mag. 2005;24(2):58-68.

Billhult A, Bergbom I, Stener-Victorin E. Massage relieves nausea in women with breast cancer who are undergoing chemotherapy. J Altern Complement Med. 2007;13(1):53-7.

Billhult A, Stener-Victorin E, Bergbom I. The experience of massage during chemotherapy treatment in breast cancer patients. Clin Nurs Res. 2007;16(2):85-99; discussion 100-2.

Buckle S. Aromatherapy and massage: the evidence. Paediatr Nurs. 2003;15(6):24-7.

Button C, Anderson N, Bradford C, Cotter JD, Ainslie PN. The effect of multidirectional mechanical vibration on peripheral circulation of humans. Clin Physiol Funct Imaging. 2007;27(4):211-6.

Cambron JA, Dexheimer J, Coe P. Changes in blood pressure after various forms of therapeutic massage: a preliminary study. J Altern Complement Med. 2006;12(1):65-70.

Dryden T, Baskwill A, Preyde M. Massage therapy for the orthopaedic patient: a review. Orthop Nurs. 2004;23(5):327-32; quiz 333-4.

Duimel-Peeters IG, Hulsenboom MA, Berger MP, Snoeckx LH, Halfens RJ. Massage to prevent pressure ulcers: knowledge, beliefs and practice. A cross-sectional study among nurses in the Netherlands in 1991 and 2003. J Clin Nurs. 2006;15(4):428-35.

Ezzo J, Haraldsson BG, Gross AR, et al.; Cervical Overview Group. Massage for mechanical neck disorders: a systematic review. Spine. 2007;32(3):353-62.

Furlan AD, Imamura M, Dryden T, Irvin E. Massage for low-back pain. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2008;(4):CD001929.

Gordon C, Emiliozzi C, Zartarian M. Use of a mechanical massage technique in the treatment of fibromyalgia: a preliminary study. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2006;87(1):145-7.

Hennenfent BR, Lazarte AR, Feliciano AE Jr. Repetitive prostatic massage and drug therapy as an alternative to transurethral resection of the prostate. MedGenMed. 2006;8(4):19.

Kaye AD, Kaye AJ, Swinford J, Baluch A, Bawcom BA, Lambert TJ, Hoover JM. The effect of deep-tissue massage therapy on blood pressure and heart rate. J Altern Complement Med. 2008;14(2):125-8.

Kutner JS, Smith MC, Corbin L, Hemphill L, Benton K, Mellis BK, Beaty B, Felton S, Yamashita TE, Bryant LL, Fairclough DL. Massage therapy versus simple touch to improve pain and mood in patients with advanced cancer: a randomized trial. Ann Intern Med. 2008;149(6):369-79.

Maa SH, Tsou TS, Wang KY, Wang CH, Lin HC, Huang YH. Self-administered acupressure reduces the symptoms that limit daily activities in bronchiectasis patients: pilot study findings. J Clin Nurs. 2007;16(4):794-804.

Macgregor R, Campbell R, Gladden MH, Tennant N, Young D. Effects of massage on the mechanical behaviour of muscles in adolescents with spastic diplegia: a pilot study. Dev Med Child Neurol. 2007;49(3):187-91.

McNeill JA, Alderdice FA, McMurray F. A retrospective cohort study exploring the relationship between antenatal reflexology and intranatal outcomes. Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2006;12(2):119-25.

Plews-Ogan M, Owens JE, Goodman M, Wolfe P, Schorling J. A pilot study evaluating mindfulness-based stress reduction and massage for the management of chronic pain. J Gen Intern Med. 2005;20(12):1136-8.

Rakel B, Barr JO. Physical modalities in chronic pain management. Nurs Clin North Am. 2003;38(3):477-94.

Roh YS, Cho H, Oh JO, Yoon CJ. Effects of skin rehabilitation massage therapy on pruritus, skin status, and depression in burn survivors. Taehan Kanho Hakhoe Chi. 2007;37(2):221-6.

Sherman KJ, Cherkin DC, Deyo RA, Erro JH, Hrbek A, Davis RB, Eisenberg DM. The diagnosis and treatment of chronic back pain by acupuncturists, chiropractors, and massage therapists. Clin J Pain. 2006;22(3):227-34.

Skillgate E, Vingard E, Alfredsson L. Naprapathic manual therapy or evidence-based care for back and neck pain: a randomized, controlled trial. Clin J Pain. 2007;23(5):431-9.

Venesy DA. Physical medicine and complementary approaches. Neurol Clin. 2007;25(2):523-37.

Vernon H, Humphreys K, Hagino C. Chronic mechanical neck pain in adults treated by manual therapy: a systematic review of change scores in randomized clinical trials. JManipulative Physiol Ther. 2007;30(3):215-27.

Wilkinson SM, Love SB, Westcombe AM, et al., Effectiveness of aromatherapy massage in the management of anxiety and depression in patients with cancer: a multicenter randomized controlled trial. J Clin Oncol. 2007;25(5):532-9.

Wu HS, Lin LC, Wu SC, Lin JG. The psychologic consequences of chronic dyspnea in chronic pulmonary obstruction disease: the effects of acupressure on depression. J Altern Complement Med. 2007;13(2):253-61.

Yang MH, Wu SC, Lin JG, Lin LC. The efficacy of acupressure for decreasing agitated behaviour in dementia: a pilot study. J Clin Nurs. 2007;16(2):308-15.

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From The Journal of Pediatrics:

Thirty-two children with asthma (16 4- to 8-year-olds and 16 9- to 14-year-olds) were randomly assigned to receive either massage therapy or relaxation therapy. The children's parents were taught to provide one therapy or the other for 20 minutes before bedtime each night for 30 days. The younger children who received massage therapy showed an immediate decrease in behavioral anxiety and cortisol levels after massage. Also, their attitude toward asthma and their peak air flow and other pulmonary functions improved over the course of the study. The older children who received massage therapy reported lower anxiety after the massage. Their attitude toward asthma also improved over the study, but only one measure of pulmonary function (forced expiratory flow 25% to 75%) improved. The reason for the smaller therapeutic benefit in the older children is unknown; however, it appears that daily massage improves airway caliber and control of asthma. (J Pediatr 1998;132:854-8)

From: American Journal of Public Health 1657-1661
October 2002, Vol 92, No. 10
© 2002 American Public Health Association
RESEARCH AND PRACTICE

Massage Therapy and Frequency of Chronic Tension Headaches

Christopher Quinn, DC, Clint Chandler, BS and Albert Moraska, PhD
The authors are with the Boulder College of Massage Therapy, Boulder, Colo.
Objectives. The effect of massage therapy on chronic nonmigraine headache was investigated.

Methods. Chronic tension headache sufferers received structured massage therapy treatment directed toward neck and shoulder muscles. Headache frequency, duration, and intensity were recorded and compared with baseline measures.

Results. Compared with baseline values, headache frequency was significantly reduced within the first week of the massage protocol. The reduction of headache frequency continued for the remainder of the study (P = .009). The duration of headaches tended to decrease during the massage treatment period (P = .058). Headache intensity was unaffected by massage (P = .19).

Conclusions. The muscle-specific massage therapy technique used in this study has the potential to be a functional, nonpharmacological intervention for reducing the incidence of chronic tension headache.