Anxiety reduction & massage?

I know that I often say that one of the benefits of massage is that it may reduce anxiety.  I think most people would agree that being in hospital or undergoing hospital procedures may makes us feel anxious.  So I was interested in a recent study that looked at the effectiveness of massage with or without guided imagery (a therapist talking you through a scene to help you relax), prior to cardiac catheterisation.  As you can imagine anxiety is very common in patients prior to cardiac catheterisation, which can lead to high blood pressure and increase the amount of sedation necessary to complete the procedure.

Fifty five patients opted to receive either a 15-minute massage (31 patients) and a 20 minute guided imagery (24 patients) in a quiet area of the hospital prior to cardiac catheterisation.  Self-report anxiety levels, blood pressure and heart rate were evaluated in the research participants as well as matched for comparison to a control group not taking part in the study.

The results indicated that massage, with or without guided imagery, produced significant reductions in self-reported anxiety, with the combined intervention having a more pronounced effect.  In addition a lower diastolic blood pressure and heart rate were found when compared to the control group.

In my experience slow, deep stokes help to reduce anxiety and as a team we often incorporate this into treatments.

References

Amstrong K, Dixon S, May S, Patricolo GE (2014).  Anxiety reduction in patients undergoing cardiac catheterisation, following massage and guided imagery.  Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice 20 (4): 334 – 338.

 

 

Related Posts

  • Headaches – Treatment & Prevention – Part 1

    Previously, I explained the different types of headaches.  Now I want to explore how you can treat them. Orthodox treatment of headaches is over the counter painkillers, while stronger prescribed medication may be required for migraines. However it should be noted that frequent use of pain killers can trigger what are referred to as rebound or withdrawl headaches. (For more information on withdrawl headaches see >> http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/headaches/Pages/Painkillerheadaches.aspx Or http://www.migrainetrust.org/medication-overuse-headache )  Massage There is scientific evidence to confirm my experience that massing the neck, shoulder & upper back can help alleviate tension headaches and some migraines, specifically the frequency of headaches & the duration of headaches. Researchers believe that two mechanisms could be responsible. Firstly, the increased serotonin could help relieve the headache (many existing headache medications increase serotonin levels). Secondly, the increased hours of sleep and fewer night wakings may lower levels of substance P - a neurotransmitter responsible for pain. So next time you get a headache, consider booking a massage with us. Scientific References

    1. Cristina Toro-Velasco, Manuel Arroyo-Morales, César Fernández-de-las-Peñas, Joshua A. Cleland, Francisco J. Barrero-Hernández. Short-Term Effects of Manual Therapy on Heart Rate Variability, Mood State, and Pressure Pain Sensitivity in Patients With Chronic Tension-Type Headache: A Pilot Study. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, 2009; 32 (7): 527 DOI: 1016/j.jmpt.2009.08.011
    2. Quinn C, Chandler C, Moraska A. Massage Therapy and Frequency of Chronic Tension Headaches. Am J Public Health. 2002 October; 92(10): 1657–1661.

  • Hypertension – Can massage help?

    After introducing, Hypertension, I discussed lifestyle and dietary factors that may assist you in either lowering high blood pressure or preventing it.  Now I would like to share with you the scientific evidence of the effectiveness of massage in assisting with the management of Hypertension. Seated Acupressure Neck & Shoulder Massage In 1997 Cady et al. in Perceptual & Motor Skills evaluated the effectiveness of a 15 minute chair massage on reducing stress as indicated by blood pressure. 52 employed participants' blood pressures were measured before and after a 15 minute massage at work. Analysis showed a significant reduction in participants' systolic and diastolic blood pressure after receiving the massage. High Blood pressure is associated with anxiety and stress, this study supports the conclusion that chair massage is relaxing, reduces stress and high BP. Relaxing (or Swedish) Massage In 2013 Givi in International Journal of Preventive Medicine looked at the effectiveness of a relaxing (swedish) massage  in the management of pre-hypertension.  The study was a single-blind clinical trial with 50 women selected by random sampling divided into a control and test group.  The test group (25 women) received 15 minute swedish massage 3 times a week for 10 weeks.  Their BP was measure before and after each session and 72 hours after finishing the massage therapy.  The results indicate the average systolic and diastolic BP in the massage group were significantly lower.  In addition 72 hours after the finishing the massage therapy there was still a significant difference between the test and control group. So if you are concerned about your Blood Pressure, go to your GP and have it checked.  Then why not book a massage. References Cady SH and Jones GE, Feb 1997, Massage therapy as a workplace intervention for reduction of stress, Perceptual & Motor Skills, (1) p157- 158 Givi M, Feb 2013, Durability of Effect of Massage Therapy on Blood Pressure, International Journal of Prevention of Medicine, 4 (5) P 511 - 516.

  • Trends in Healthcare

    Today I attended the Employee Benefits Connect event to find out about the latest trends in employee benefits.  Quite a few speakers identified the growth of onsite well-being services like the Vitality Breaks services I provide, as the number one healthcare issue in companies right now and for the next few years. The key conditions that are driving the growth of well-being services are:

    1. Diabetes
    2. Heart Disease
    3. High Blood Pressure
    4. Back Pain
    We all know that back pains is common, episodic, often recurrent and generally self limiting.  Long term absence form work is greatest amongst the minority of employees whose conditions is chronic (if the pains lasts for more than 12 weeks) or is recurrent (if there are several episodes of pain in one year lasting less than 6 months).  Most people who are effected by back pain either remain in work or return to work promptly.  About 85% of people with back pain take less than seven days off work. In a survey reported by the London Work Foundation it identified that 9.6 million workers are regularly affected by back pain.  In addition the London Work Foundation has identified that musculoskeletal conditions comprise about 55 %of all work-related illness throughout the UK compared to stress being responsible for 30 per cent of work-related illness, that figure drops to 31% when you focus only non-manual workers.    This makes musculoskeletal conditions the top reason for long term absence from work in the UK for non-manual workers. So why am I quoting all these statistics, because despite speakers talking about trends in healthcare being driven by amongst other things back pain and clear evidence that musculoskeletal conditions are the number one reason for absence there was no mention of solutions.  Go figure!!!!