Physiological Adjustments to Stress Measures Following Massage Therapy: A Review of the Literature

Abstract

Use of massage therapy by the general public has increased substantially in recent years. In light of the popularity of massage therapy for stress reduction, a comprehensive review of the peer-reviewed literature is important to summarize the effectiveness of this modality on stress-reactive physiological measures. On-line databases were searched for articles relevant to both massage therapy and stress. Articles were included in this review if (i) the massage therapy account consisted of manipulation of soft tissues and was conducted by a trained therapist, and (ii) a dependent measure to evaluate physiological stress was reported. Hormonal and physical parameters are reviewed. A total of 25 studies met all inclusion criteria. A majority of studies employed a 20–30 min massage administered twice-weekly over 5 weeks with evaluations conducted pre-post an individual session (single treatment) or following a series of sessions (multiple treatments). Single treatment reductions in salivary cortisol and heart rate were consistently noted. A sustained reduction for these measures was not supported in the literature, although the single-treatment effect was repeatable within a study. To date, the research data is insufficient to make definitive statements regarding the multiple treatment effect of massage therapy on urinary cortisol or catecholamines, but some evidence for a positive effect on diastolic blood pressure has been documented. While significant improvement has been demonstrated following massage therapy, the general research body on this topic lacks the necessary scientific rigor to provide a definitive understanding of the effect massage therapy has on many physiological variables associated with stress.

An oral rehabilitation robot for massaging the masseter and temporal muscles: a preliminary report

“…The use of physical therapy is widely accepted and helps to relieve musculoskeletal pain and to restore normal function by reducing inflammation, reducing and coordinating muscle activity, and promoting the repair and regeneration of tissue [12,13,17,[23][24][25]. Furthermore, massage therapy is believed to stimulate the parasympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system and to facilitate a return to homeostasis after an emergency by reversing some of the physiological processes activated during the stress response [26].…”

“…Most studies have used massage lasting for 20-30 min, once or twice a week for at least five weeks [12,15,[26][27][28]. Based on these regimens and results for healthy volunteers, we selected the following dosage and dose regimens for massage treatment using the robot: a massage pressure from 6 to 12 N; 1-min massages performed alternately for the masseter and temporal muscles; and treatment sessions of 7, 10, or 13 repeated massages.…”

A Randomized Controlled Trial on Clinical Efficacy of Massage Therapy in a Multisensory Environment for Residents with Severe and Profound Intellectual Disabilities

“…Physiological data were reliable to indicate relaxation level, including pulse and respiration rate (Croghan 2009;Hegarty & Gale 1996), which was activated parasympathetic nerves to suppress the sympathetic activities (Fraser & Ross Kerr 1993;Moraska et al 2008). A physiologic monitor was used to standardise the measurement of the pulse and respiration rate for 3 minutes continuously after the intervention and then finalised by their average values.…”

Neurovascular Coupling: A Unifying Theory for Post-Concussion Syndrome Treatment and Functional Neuroimaging

“…On the other hand, this study applied heat with massage and may serve as a potential confounder. However, a meta-analysis reviewing the physiological adjustments to stress measures following massage therapy concludes that massage therapy has shown some effects on the ANS but "the general research body on this topic lacks the necessary scientific rigor to provide a definitive understanding of the effect massage therapy has on many physiological variables associated with stress" [105]. In short, though research has not clearly linked massage therapy and ANS reregulation, it does appear to have some effect and the EPIC treatment seeks to exploit its benefits on the ANS.…”