Randomized controlled trials of pediatric massage: a review

Area of Science:

• Integrative and Complementary Medicine
• Pediatric Health Research
• Clinical Trial Analysis

Background:

• Existing reviews of massage therapy (MT) research lack recent pediatric data.
• Pediatric MT research is diverse, necessitating a comprehensive review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs).

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of pediatric massage therapy (MT).
• To evaluate the effects of single-dose and multiple-dose MT interventions in pediatric populations aged 2-19 years.

Main Methods:

• Conducted a literature search to identify 24 RCTs of pediatric MT.
• Employed quantitative and narrative review methods due to variability in reported data.
• Analyzed single-dose and multiple-dose effects separately, calculating effect sizes where possible.

Main Results:

• Single-dose MT significantly reduced state anxiety after the first and last sessions (g = 0.59, P < 0.05; g = 1.10, P < 0.01).
• Multiple-dose MT yielded significant improvements in trait anxiety (g = 0.94, P < 0.05), muscle tone (g = 0.90, P < 0.01), and arthritis pain (g = 1.33, P < 0.01).
• Non-significant effects were observed for salivary cortisol, negative mood, and behavior in single-dose interventions.

Conclusions:

• Massage therapy offers benefits for pediatric recipients, including anxiety reduction and pain management.
• Identified weaknesses in current pediatric MT research, such as low statistical power and insufficient reporting.
• Recommendations for improving future pediatric MT research methodology are discussed.