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The Comparison of the Effects of Massaging and Rocking on Infantile Colic
Fatemah Nahidi1, Nafiseh Gazerani2, Parsa Yousefi3
1Department of Midwifery and Reproductive Health, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Insights
Infant massage significantly reduced crying in colicky babies compared to rocking. This study suggests massage is an effective treatment for infantile colic.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Infant Health
- Complementary Medicine
Background:
- Infantile colic is a common, painful condition in early infancy.
- The study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of massage therapy for infantile colic.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test the hypothesis that massage treatment offers a clinically relevant benefit for infantile colic.
Main Methods:
- A randomized clinical trial involved 100 infants under 12 weeks with colic.
- Infants were randomized into infant massage (n=50) or rocking (n=50) groups for one week.
- Parents recorded crying patterns; data analyzed using t-test, Chi square, and repeated measures ANOVA.
Main Results:
- No significant differences in infant/mother demographics between groups.
- After one week, the massage group showed greater reductions in crying number, length, and severity compared to the rocking group.
- Mean differences in crying: Massage group (4.08 times/day, 2.81 hours/day, 2.9 severity) vs. Rocking group (0.56 times/day, 0.27 hours/day, 0.02 severity).
Conclusions:
- Infant massage demonstrated a statistically significant and clinically relevant positive effect on infantile colic.
- Massage therapy is a recommended intervention for managing infantile colic.
Introduction:
Infantile colic is a painful condition in the first months of infancy. This study was carried out with the aim of testing the hypothesis that massage treatment has a clinically relevant effect on this condition.
Materials And Methods:
This randomized clinical trial was conducted among 100 infants of < 12 weeks of age with infantile colic. They were randomly assigned to either infant massage (n = 50) or rocking groups (n = 50). In the massage group, trained individuals taught the parents of the infants the massage technique and gave them a brochure. Rocking group parents was recommended to rock their infants three times a day for 1 week. Parents recorded the pattern of crying (numbers, length, and severity of crying). After 1 week of intervention, data were analysed using t-test, Chi square test, and repeated measurement analysis of variance (P < 0.05).
Results:
Significant differences were not observed in infant and mother demographic information. Before intervention, the mean of total number, length, and severity of crying were 6.12 (1.76) time/day, 4.97 (1.37) hour/day, and 6.60 (1.54) in the massage group and 6.96 (2.9) time/day, 3 (1.31) hour/day, and 5.98 (2.22) in the rocking group, respectively. After 1 week of intervention, the mean difference of total number, length, and severity of crying were 4.08 (1.83) time/day, 2.81 (1.77) hour/day, and 2.9 (2.37) in the massage group and 0.56 (2.28) time/day, 0.27 (1.09) hour/day, and 0.02 (1.64) in the rocking group, respectively.
Conclusions:
This trial of massage treatment for infantile colic showed statistically significant or clinically relevant effect in comparison with the rocking group.