Massage therapy in the workplace: reducing employee strain and blood pressure
1Dept of Psychology, Saint Mary's University, Halifax, NS. Arla.Day@smu.ca
Aim:
Assess the effects of workplace-based massage therapy on physiological and psychological outcomes.
Methods:
We used afield experiment in which 28 participants were randomly assigned into either an experimental (n = 14) or control (n = 14) group. The experimental group received weekly massage treatments at work for a four week period while the control group did not.
Results:
Both strain and blood pressure were significantly reduced during treatment for the experimental group but not for the control group.
Conclusions:
This study provides initial support for the effectiveness of workplace-based massage therapy as part of a comprehensive workplace health strategy.
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