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Therapeutic Massage for Psychological Well-being in Geriatric Oncology
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Published on: May 22, 2026

Does massage therapy reduce cortisol? A comprehensive quantitative review.

Christopher A Moyer1, Lacey Seefeldt, Eric S Mann

  • 1University of Wisconsin-Stout, USA. christopher.a.moyer@gmail.com

Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies
|December 15, 2010
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Massage therapy (MT) shows minimal impact on cortisol levels, suggesting it is not the primary driver of MT

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Area of Science:

  • Integrative Medicine
  • Endocrinology
  • Psychoneuroimmunology

Background:

  • Massage therapy (MT) is widely believed to reduce cortisol levels, a mechanism proposed to explain its benefits for anxiety, depression, and pain.
  • Existing reviews on MT's effect on cortisol are inconsistent regarding the existence, magnitude, and causative role of cortisol reduction.
  • A definitive quantitative review is needed to clarify MT's impact on cortisol for research and clinical practice.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To quantitatively review the effect of massage therapy on cortisol levels.
  • To compare rigorous meta-analytic methods with an unconventional approach used in previous reviews.
  • To determine if cortisol reduction is a plausible mechanism for the clinical benefits of MT.

Main Methods:

  • A comprehensive literature search and retrieval was conducted.
  • Rigorous meta-analytic methods were used to calculate between-groups effect sizes.
  • An unconventional method quantifying within-group percentage change in cortisol was replicated for comparison.

Main Results:

  • Between-groups effect sizes for MT's effect on cortisol were generally small (ds = 0.05–0.30) and not statistically significant.
  • The only significant effect was observed in children receiving multiple MT doses (d = 0.52), but this was based on limited studies and vulnerable to bias.
  • Within-group percentage reductions in cortisol were smaller and inconsistent with between-groups results, highlighting methodological limitations.

Conclusions:

  • Massage therapy's effect on cortisol levels is generally very small and often not statistically significant.
  • Cortisol reduction is unlikely to be the primary mechanism behind MT's established benefits for anxiety, depression, and pain.
  • Other unidentified mechanisms are likely responsible for the clinical efficacy of massage therapy.