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The Cochrane Database of Systematic... Jun 2016Massage and aromatherapy massage are used to relieve cancer-related symptoms. A number of claims have been made for these treatments including reduction of pain,... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND
Massage and aromatherapy massage are used to relieve cancer-related symptoms. A number of claims have been made for these treatments including reduction of pain, anxiety, depression, and stress. Other studies have not shown these benefits.
OBJECTIVES
To evaluate the effects of massage with or without aromatherapy on pain and other symptoms associated with cancer.
SEARCH METHODS
We searched the following databases and trials registries up to August 2015: the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL, 2015, Issue 7), MEDLINE (Ovid), EMBASE (Ovid), PsycINFO (Ovid), CINAHL (EBSCO), PubMed Cancer Subset, SADCCT, and the World Health Organization (WHO) ICTRP. We also searched clinical trial registries for ongoing studies.
SELECTION CRITERIA
Randomised controlled studies (RCTs) reporting the effects of aromatherapy or massage therapy, or both, in people with cancer of any age. We applied no language restrictions. Comparators were massage (using carrier oil only) versus no massage, massage with aromatherapy (using carrier oil plus essential oils) versus no massage, and massage with aromatherapy (using carrier oil plus essential oils) versus massage without aromatherapy (using carrier oil only).
DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
At least two review authors selected studies, assessed the risk of bias, and extracted data relating to pain and other symptoms associated with cancer, using standardised forms. We assessed the evidence using GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation) and created two 'Summary of findings' tables.
MAIN RESULTS
We included 19 studies (21 reports) of very low quality evidence with a total of 1274 participants. We included 14 studies (16 reports) in a qualitative synthesis and five studies in a quantitative synthesis (meta-analysis). Thirteen studies (14 reports, 596 participants) compared massage with no massage. Six studies (seven reports, 561 participants) compared aromatherapy massage with no massage. Two studies (117 participants) compared massage with aromatherapy and massage without aromatherapy. Fourteen studies had a high risk of bias related to sample size and 15 studies had a low risk of bias for blinding the outcome assessment. We judged the studies to be at unclear risk of bias overall. Our primary outcomes were pain and psychological symptoms. Two studies reported physical distress, rash, and general malaise as adverse events. The remaining 17 studies did not report adverse events. We downgraded the GRADE quality of evidence for all outcomes to very low because of observed imprecision, indirectness, imbalance between groups in many studies, and limitations of study design. Massage versus no-massage groupsWe analysed results for pain and anxiety but the quality of evidence was very low as most studies were small and considered at an unclear or high risk of bias due to poor reporting. Short-term pain (Present Pain Intensity-Visual Analogue Scale) was greater for the massage group compared with the no-massage group (one RCT, n = 72, mean difference (MD) -1.60, 95% confidence interval (CI) -2.67 to -0.53). Data for anxiety (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-state) relief showed no significant difference in anxiety between the groups (three RCTs, n = 98, combined MD -5.36, 95% CI -16.06 to 5.34). The subgroup analysis for anxiety revealed that the anxiety relief for children was greater for the massage group compared with the no-massage group (one RCT, n = 30, MD -14.70, 95% CI -19.33 to -10.07), but the size of this effect was considered not clinically significant. Furthermore, this review demonstrated no differences in effects of massage on depression, mood disturbance, psychological distress, nausea, fatigue, physical symptom distress, or quality of life when compared with no massage. Massage with aromatherapy versus no-massage groupsWe analysed results for pain, anxiety, symptoms relating to the breast, and quality of life but the quality of evidence was very low as studies were generally at a high risk of bias. There was some indication of benefit in the aromatherapy-massage group but this benefit is unlikely to translate into clinical benefit. The relief of medium- and long-term pain (medium-term: one RCT, n = 86, MD 5.30, 95% CI 1.52 to 9.08; long-term: one RCT, n = 86, MD 3.80, 95% CI 0.19 to 7.41), anxiety (two RCTs, n = 253, combined MD -4.50, 95% CI -7.70 to -1.30), and long-term symptoms relating to the breast in people with breast cancer (one RCT, n = 86, MD -9.80, 95% CI -19.13 to -0.47) was greater for the aromatherapy-massage group, but the results were considered not clinically significant. The medium-term quality of life score was lower (better) for the aromatherapy-massage group compared with the no-massage group (one RCT, n = 30, MD -2.00, 95% CI -3.46 to -0.54). Massage with aromatherapy versus massage without aromatherapy groupsFrom the limited evidence available, we were unable to assess the effect of adding aromatherapy to massage on the relief of pain, psychological symptoms including anxiety and depression, physical symptom distress, or quality of life.
AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS
There was a lack of evidence on the clinical effectiveness of massage for symptom relief in people with cancer. Most studies were too small to be reliable and key outcomes were not reported. Any further studies of aromatherapy and massage will need to address these concerns.
Topics: Affect; Anxiety; Aromatherapy; Breast Neoplasms; Depression; Fatigue; Female; Humans; Male; Massage; Neoplasms; Pain Management; Plant Oils
PubMed: 27258432
DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD009873.pub3 -
Revista Latino-americana de Enfermagem Nov 2016to evaluate the effectiveness of massage and reiki in the reduction of stress and anxiety in clients at the Institute for Integrated and Oriental Therapy in Sao Paulo... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
OBJECTIVE
to evaluate the effectiveness of massage and reiki in the reduction of stress and anxiety in clients at the Institute for Integrated and Oriental Therapy in Sao Paulo (Brazil).
METHOD
clinical tests randomly done in parallel with an initial sample of 122 people divided into three groups: Massage + Rest (G1), Massage + Reiki (G2) and a Control group without intervention (G3). The Stress Systems list and the Trace State Anxiety Inventory were used to evaluate the groups at the start and after 8 sessions (1 month), during 2015.
RESULTS
there were statistical differences (p = 0.000) according to the ANOVA (Analysis of Variance) for the stress amongst the groups 2 and 3 (p = 0.014) with a 33% reductions and a Cohen of 0.78. In relation to anxiety-state, there was a reduction in the intervention groups compared with the control group (p < 0.01) with a 21% reduction in group 2 (Cohen of 1.18) and a 16% reduction for group 1 (Cohen of 1.14).
CONCLUSION
Massage + Reiki produced better results amongst the groups and the conclusion is for further studies to be done with the use of a placebo group to evaluate the impact of the technique separate from other techniques. RBR-42c8wp.
Topics: Adult; Anxiety; Female; Humans; Male; Massage; Stress, Psychological; Therapeutic Touch
PubMed: 27901219
DOI: 10.1590/1518-8345.1614.2834 -
British Dental Journal Jun 2022
Topics: Dentistry; Massage; Percussion
PubMed: 35750807
DOI: 10.1038/s41415-022-4407-3 -
Annals of Palliative Medicine Sep 2023Patients living with serious illness are often eligible for palliative care and experience physical symptoms including pain or dyspnea and psychological distress that... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE
Patients living with serious illness are often eligible for palliative care and experience physical symptoms including pain or dyspnea and psychological distress that negatively impacts health-related quality of life and other outcomes. Such patients often benefit from massage therapy to reduce symptom burden and improve quality of life when such treatment is available. At present, no synthesis or review exists exploring massage therapy specifically provided with palliative care patient populations. This review is needed because those with serious illness are a growing and important vulnerable population. Massage therapy is used frequently and in many healthcare delivery contexts, but the body of research has not led to its systematic integration or broad acceptance.
METHODS
PubMed search for clinical research focused on massage therapy for palliative care-eligible populations from 2012 and 2022. Search terms included keywords: massage, massage therapy, serious illness, advanced illness, and palliative care.
KEY CONTENT AND FINDINGS
Thirteen unique articles were identified through the PubMed database search and from a manual review of references. Study designs of included articles were one pilot, one quasi-experimental single-arm study, one mixed-methods study, two qualitative (both with hospital-based palliative care populations), seven randomized controlled trials, and one retrospective cohort analysis in a major Veterans Health Administration health care facility.
CONCLUSIONS
Variability was found in study design, scope, sample size, and outcomes for related articles published in the last ten years. Few eligible interventions reflected real-world massage therapy delivery suggesting more clinical research is needed to examine massage provided by massage therapists trained to work with palliative care populations. Gaps in the current body of existing evidence supports the need for this review and recommendations for the direction of future related research.
Topics: Humans; Palliative Care; Quality of Life; Retrospective Studies; Neoplasms; Massage; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
PubMed: 37599559
DOI: 10.21037/apm-23-126 -
European Journal of Pain (London,... Aug 2023Complementary and Integrative Health Approaches (CIHA), including but not limited to, natural products and Mind and Body Practices (MBPs), are promising...
BACKGROUND
Complementary and Integrative Health Approaches (CIHA), including but not limited to, natural products and Mind and Body Practices (MBPs), are promising non-pharmacological adjuvants to the arsenal of pain management therapeutics. We aim to establish possible relationships between use of CIHA and the capacity of descending pain modulatory system in the form of occurrence and magnitude of placebo effects in a laboratory setting.
METHODS
This cross-sectional study investigated the relationship between self-reported use of CIHA, pain disability, and experimentally induced placebo hypoalgesia in chronic pain participants suffering from Temporomandibular Disorders (TMD). In the 361 enrolled TMD participants, placebo hypoalgesia was measured using a well-established paradigm with verbal suggestions and conditioning cues paired with distinct heat painful stimulations. Pain disability was measured with the Graded Chronic Pain Scale, and use of CIHA were recorded with a checklist as part of the medical history.
RESULTS
Use of physically oriented MBPs (e.g., yoga and massage) was associated with reduced placebo effects (F = 23.15, p < 0.001, Cohen's d = 0.171). Further, linear regressions indicated that greater number of physically oriented MBPs predicted smaller placebo effects (β = -0.17, p = 0.002), and less likelihood of being a placebo responder (OR = 0.70, p = 0.004). Use of psychologically oriented MBPs and natural product were not associated with placebo effects magnitude and responsiveness.
CONCLUSIONS
Our findings suggest that use of physically oriented CIHA was associated with experimental placebo effects possibly through an optimized capability to recognize distinct somatosensorial stimulations. Future research is needed to understand the mechanisms underlying placebo-induced pain modulation in CIHA users.
SIGNIFICANCE
Chronic pain participants who use physically oriented mind-body practices, such as yoga and massage, demonstrated attenuated experimentally induced placebo hypoalgesia in comparison with those who do not use them. This finding disentangled the relationship between use of complementary and integrative approaches and placebo effects, providing the potential therapeutic perspective of endogenous pain modulation in chronic pain management.
Topics: Humans; Chronic Pain; Yoga; Placebo Effect; Cross-Sectional Studies; Facial Pain; Massage
PubMed: 36932918
DOI: 10.1002/ejp.2111 -
Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) May 2019Cyriax friction massage is a widely known and used technique in the field of chronic pain management. Despite its frequent use in daily clinical practice, the technique...
Cyriax friction massage is a widely known and used technique in the field of chronic pain management. Despite its frequent use in daily clinical practice, the technique lacks evidence to support its therapeutic value. While this might be due to various factors, the authors of this paper suggest that the technique might need to be improved and/or modernized according to the recent literature. The purpose of this letter is to further analyze our point of view. Using the most relevant methods to the subject literature, the authors intended to point out a few technical details that might need reconsideration and/or modernization. An appropriate terminology is suggested in the text. Further, suggestions are made regarding the technique's interval time, a possible addition of self-treatment, a discussion of the combination with Mill's manipulation, tendon positioning and other parameters. As a therapeutic value has not yet been clearly documented, and since the modernization and/or improvement of the technique might be needed, we suggest that this technique should not be used as a first-line treatment for the management of chronic pain.
Topics: Chronic Pain; Friction; Humans; Massage; Pain Management
PubMed: 31117314
DOI: 10.3390/medicina55050185 -
International Health Mar 2024There have been few reports from Africa on the use and health effects of emollient therapy for newborn infants. We aimed to describe neonatal skin care practices in... (Review)
Review
There have been few reports from Africa on the use and health effects of emollient therapy for newborn infants. We aimed to describe neonatal skin care practices in Africa, and to illuminate opportunities to introduce evidence-based interventions to improve these practices. We conducted a scoping review of the quantitative and qualitative published peer-reviewed and grey literature in English on emollient use in Africa. Outcomes of interest included neonatal skin care practices, with a focus on the application of oils and other products to infant skin, including in association with bathing and massage. We screened 5257 articles and summarised findings from 23 studies-13 qualitative, nine quantitative and one mixed methods-that met our study criteria. Seven studies reported the use of emollients for perceived benefits, including thermal care, treatment for illness, promotion of growth and development, infection reduction, skin condition improvement, spirituality and lubrication to aid massage. Four studies reported the quantitative health impact of skin care product applications, including improvements in skin condition, neurodevelopment and bone growth, as well as a reduction in nosocomial infections. This review highlights opportunities for skin care intervention and future research on neonatal skin care practices in Africa.
Topics: Infant; Infant, Newborn; Humans; Emollients; Massage; Africa
PubMed: 37480339
DOI: 10.1093/inthealth/ihad052 -
Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) Oct 2022: Urinary incontinence is any involuntary loss of urine. It may result in anxiety, depression, low self-esteem and social isolation. Perineal massage has spread as a...
: Urinary incontinence is any involuntary loss of urine. It may result in anxiety, depression, low self-esteem and social isolation. Perineal massage has spread as a prophylactic technique for treating complications during labor. Acknowledged effects of perineal massage are reduction of incidence and severity of perineal tear and use of equipment directly related to the intrapartum perineal trauma. The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of massage in urinary incontinence prevention and identification of possible differences in its form of application (self-massage or by a physiotherapist), with the previous assumption that it is effective and that there are differences between the different forms of application. : A controlled clinical trial with a sample of 81 pregnant women was conducted. The participants were divided into three groups: a group that received the massage applied by a specialized physiotherapist, another group that applied the massage to themselves, and a control group that only received ordinary obstetric care. : No differences were identified in the incidence or severity of urinary incontinence among the three groups. The severity of the incontinence was only affected by the body mass index and the weight of the baby at the time of delivery. : A relationship between perineal massage interventions and development of urinary incontinence has not been observed.
Topics: Female; Humans; Pregnancy; Labor, Obstetric; Massage; Obstetric Labor Complications; Postpartum Period; Urinary Incontinence
PubMed: 36295645
DOI: 10.3390/medicina58101485 -
BMJ Open Jan 2024Chronic constipation (CC) is a highly prevalent health challenge that is particularly challenging to treat in elderly patients. Although lifestyle guidance and laxative...
INTRODUCTION
Chronic constipation (CC) is a highly prevalent health challenge that is particularly challenging to treat in elderly patients. Although lifestyle guidance and laxative therapy often yield positive outcomes, patients occasionally struggle with maintaining dietary control. Therefore, identifying an economical and safe alternative therapy to the existing treatment methods documented in the international literature is necessary. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of abdominal massage in elderly patients with CC to provide a basis for future mechanistic research.
METHODS AND ANALYSIS
Electronic searches will be conducted to identify clinical randomised controlled trials in various databases, including Web of Science, PubMed, Cumulated Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Cochrane Library, Embase, Airiti Library, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure Databases, Chinese Science and Technology Periodical Database (VIP), Chinese Biomedical Literature Database and Wan Fang Database. Relevant data will be extracted, and a meta-analysis will be conducted using Reviewer Manager V.5.4. Quality and risk assessments of the included studies will be performed, and the outcome indicators of the trials will be observed. This review will evaluate abdominal massage as a treatment option for relieving symptoms and improving quality of life in elderly patients with CC. Moreover, it will provide additional insights for clinical treatment and mechanistic studies. The search will be performed following the publication of this protocol (estimated to occur on 30 December 2023).
ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION
As this is a literature review, ethics approval will not be required. We will disseminate the findings of this study to publications in peer-reviewed journals as well as presentations at relevant national and international conferences.
PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER
CRD42023408629.
Topics: Aged; Humans; Constipation; Massage; Meta-Analysis as Topic; Quality of Life; Review Literature as Topic; Systematic Reviews as Topic
PubMed: 38262653
DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-074780 -
International Wound Journal Aug 2023This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to examine the effects of massage therapy on pain and anxiety intensity in patients with burns. A comprehensive,... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to examine the effects of massage therapy on pain and anxiety intensity in patients with burns. A comprehensive, systematic search was conducted in various international electronic databases, such as Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, and Persian electronic databases such as Iranmedex, and Scientific Information Database using keywords extracted from Medical Subject Headings such as 'Massage therapy', 'Musculoskeletal manipulations', 'Acute pains', 'Burning pain', and 'Burn' from the earliest to October 17, 2022. Cochran's tool is used to check the risk of bias for randomised clinical trial (RCT) articles. The methodological index for non-randomised studies was used to assess the risk of bias in quasi-experimental studies. STATA version 14 software was used to perform the meta-analysis. A 95% confidence interval (CI) was used to determine statistical significance. Heterogeneity was investigated with I . A P-value less than .1 was considered statistically significant for publication bias value. A total of 733 patients with burns were included in seven studies. Five studies had an RCT design and two studies had a quasi-experimental design. The duration of the study was reported in five studies, with a mean of 42.40 weeks. The duration of the intervention was reported in seven studies with a mean of 22.86 minutes. The results of the meta-analysis showed using various types of massage therapy interventions significantly reduced pain intensity in the intervention group compared with the control group (weighted mean difference: -2.08, 95% CI: -2.55 to -1.62, Z = 8.77, I : 67.1%, P < .001). Massage therapy intervention significantly reduced the intensity of anxiety in burn patients (standard mean difference: -7.07, 95% CI: -10.13 to -4.01, Z = 4.53, I : 98.2, P < .001). Overall, the present systematic review and meta-analysis showed that massage therapy can reduce the intensity of pain and anxiety in burn patients. Therefore, it is recommended that health managers and policymakers pay special attention to massage therapy as a simple, low-cost, and efficient non-pharmacological treatment to relieve pain and anxiety in burn patients.
Topics: Humans; Pain; Anxiety; Anxiety Disorders; Massage; Burns
PubMed: 36680488
DOI: 10.1111/iwj.14089