CLINICAL RESEARCH POSTER PRESENTATION ABSTRACTS
Please note: All posters will be displayed in
Salons 10-12.
FRIDAY, 5:45-6:30 PM
Cambron JA, Dexheimer JM, Coe P, Swenson R.
Side effects of massage therapy: a pilot study.
National University of Health Sciences jcambron@nuhs.edu
Massage therapy is a very popular form of treatment
with reported relaxation and pain reduction benefits. However, in a
recent article, several case reports identified serious side effects
from massage. These negative side effects are considered rare and are
frequently due to "exotic" types of massage or massage delivered
by laymen (Ernst, 2003). The purpose of this pilot study is to determine
the incidence of negative side effects as well as the incidence of unexpected
positive side effects due to massage care. Consecutive new and returning
massage therapy clients were asked if they were willing to participate
in this study. Of the 142 clients asked, 100 agreed to participate.
Two days after the massage, a research assistant contacted the client
to administer a telephone screen inquiring about negative and positive
side effects of the massage session. Ninety-one subjects completed all
survey questions.
The majority of subjects were female (71.4%)
and Caucasian (90.1%). Approximately one-half (50.6%) were married.
Most were returning clients (71.4%) and described their reason for seeking
massage as relaxation (52.8%), overall muscle tension or joint pain
(28.6%), back pain (24.2%) and/or neck and shoulder pain (19.8%). No
questions were asked regarding improvement in primary complaint or client
satisfaction. Of the 91 subjects surveyed, 9 (10%) stated that they
experienced one or more additional discomforts or unpleasant reactions
to the massage. The most common complaint was increased discomfort or
soreness (10%) starting <12 hours after the massage and lasting 24 hours
or less. Other infrequent complaints were tiredness or fatigue (1.1%),
headache (1.1%), and bruising (1.1%). No major side effects occurred
during this study. In terms of unexpected positive side effects, 21
(23.1%) of the 91 subjects experienced one or more positive changes
unrelated to their primary complaint. The most common positive side
effects were non-musculoskeletal, including improvement in mood and
emotional well-being (9.9%), digestive function (5.5%), respiration
(3.3%), and circulation (3.3%). Most positive benefits lasted >48 hours.
This pilot study is the first to define the incidence of side effects
due to massage therapy treatment. Overall, 10% of the massage clients
experienced some minor discomfort after the massage session, however
23% experienced unexpected, non-musculoskeletal positive side effects.
These data are important for risk-benefit analyses of massage care.
Larger studies are needed to verify these data and to assess effects
of different massage types and durations.
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