Effectiveness of Nurse-Administered Massage for Chronic Pain Relief
Author Information
Author(s): Kate Seers, Nicola Crichton, June Martin, Katrina Coulson, Dawn Carroll
Primary Institution: RCN Research Institute, University of Warwick
Hypothesis
Does a single session of nurse-administered massage provide short-term relief for chronic non-malignant pain and anxiety?
Conclusion
Massage is effective in the short term for chronic pain of moderate to severe intensity.
Supporting Evidence
- Patients in the massage group reported significantly less pain immediately after treatment and one hour post-treatment compared to baseline.
- The massage group experienced a statistically significant reduction in anxiety compared to the control group.
- A higher percentage of patients in the massage group reported 50% pain relief compared to the control group.
Takeaway
Massage can help people with bad pain feel better for a little while, and it can also make them feel less anxious.
Methodology
A randomised controlled trial with patients assigned to either a massage group or a control group, with assessments of pain and anxiety at multiple time points.
Potential Biases
Potential bias due to the observer being blind to treatment allocation, but some patients broke blinding.
Limitations
High dropout rate, particularly in the control group, which may affect the reliability of the results.
Participant Demographics
Patients aged 21 to 81 years, mean age 53.4 years, 58.4% female, with chronic pain lasting an average of 10.4 years.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.001
Confidence Interval
5.47 mm to 24.70 mm
Statistical Significance
p<0.001
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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