Massage Therapy for mental stress

“…Three types of commonly used massage therapy techniques were assessed in a sample of 36 healthy adults, randomly assigned to: (1) moderate massage, (2) light massage, or (3) vibratory stimulation group (n = 12 per group). Changes in anxiety and stress were assessed, and EEG and EKG were recorded. Anxiety scores decreased for all groups, but the moderate pressure massage group reported the greatest decrease in stress. The moderate massage group also experienced a decrease in heart rate and EEG changes including an increase in delta and a decrease in alpha and beta activity, suggesting a relaxation response. Finally, this group showed increased positive affect, as indicated by a shift toward left frontal EEG activation. The light massage group showed increased arousal, as indicated by decreased delta and increased deta activity and increased heart rate. The vibratory stimulation group also showed increased arousal, as indicated by increased heart rate and increased theta, alpha, and beta activity.…”

 Miguel Diego, Tiffany Field, Chris Sanders et al. 2004 

 International Journal of Neuroscience 

“…Massage therapy is older than recorded time, and rubbing was the primary form of medicine until the pharmaceutical revolution of the 1940s. Popularized again as part of the alternative medicine movement, massage therapy has recently received empirical support for facilitating growth, reducing pain, increasing alertness, diminishing depression, and enhancing immune function. In this article studies are reviewed that document these effects, and models are proposed for potential underlying mechanisms.…”

Tiffany Field, 1998

American Psychologist

“…The purpose of the current study was to examine the impact of massage therapy on psychological, physical, and psychophysiological measures in patients undergoing autologous bone marrow transplantation (BMT). Patients scheduled to undergo BMT were randomly assigned to receive either (a) massage therapy, consisting of 20-minute sessions of shoulder, neck, head, and facial massage, or (b) standard treatment. Overall effects of massage therapy on anxiety, depression, and mood were assessed pretreatment, midtreatment, and prior to discharge using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory, and Brief Profile of Mood States, respectively. The immediate effects of massage were measured via the State Anxiety Inventory, Numerical Scales of Distress, Fatigue, Nausea, and Pain and indices of psychophysiological arousal (heart rate, blood pressure, and respiration rate), collected prior to and following patients' first, fifth, and final massage (on Days--7, midtreatment, and predischarge). Analysis of the data evaluating the immediate effects of massage showed that patients in the massage therapy group demonstrated significantly larger reductions in distress, fatigue, nausea, and State Anxiety than the standard treatment group at Day-7, in State Anxiety at midtreatment, and in fatigue at the predischarge assessment. The overall measures of psychological symptoms measured at pretreatment, midtreatment, and prior to discharge showed no overall group differences, although the massage group scored significantly lower on the State Anxiety Inventory than the standard care group at the midtreatment assessment. The two groups together showed significant declines through time on scores from the Profile of Mood States and State and Trait Anxiety Inventories.…”

Tim A. Ahles, Denise M. Tope, Briane Pinkson et al. 1999 

Journal of Pain and Symptom Management

“…Moreover, Diego et al [12] confirmed these findings, suggesting that massage therapy reduces anxiety and stress, increases frontal delta activity, decreases frontal alpha and beta activity, and shifts frontal alpha asymmetry from right-hemisphere dominance to left-hemisphere dominance. Similarly, our previous study demonstrated that manual massage increases resting-state alpha activity in the left anterior cingulate cortex compared with machine massage [13]. Together, these findings provide evidence that massage therapy effectively improves the health and well-being of the elderly, and that massage therapy acts to modulate EEG activity.…”

Hitoo Nakano, Takayuki Kodama, Tomohiro Ueda et al. 2019

Brain Sciences

“…Abstract: Sixty-eight preterm infants (M GA=3Owks.) were randomly assigned to a moderate or to a light pressure massage therapy group to receive 15 massages 3 times per day for 5 days. Behavior state, stress behaviors and heart rate were recorded for 15 minutes before and during the first 15-minute therapy session. Weight gain was recorded over the 5 day therapy period. The moderate versus light pressure massage group gained significantly more weight per day. During the behavior observations the moderate versus light pressure massage group showed significantly lower increases from the presession to the session recording on: 1) active sleep; 2) fussing; 3) crying; 4) movement; and 5) stress behavior (hiccupping). They also showed a smaller decrease in deep sleep, a greater decrease in heart rate and a greater increase in vagal tone. Thus, the moderate pressure massage therapy group appeared to be more relaxed and less aroused than the light pressure massage group which may have contributed to the greater weight gain of the moderate pressure massage therapy group.…”

Tiffany Field, Miguel Diego, Maria Hernandez-Reif et al. 2006

Infant Behavior and Development

 “…The current study examined the cumulative effects of massage therapy (three massages a day over 5 days) on medically stable preterm infants being treated in an NICU. The preterm infants who received the massages were expected to show reduced stress behaviors and activity since massage therapy is associated with relaxation (Field, 1998) and decreased anxiety in adults (Field, Diego, & Hernandez-Reif, 2006) and reduction of cortisol levels, in both infants (Field, et al, 1996) and preterm infants (Alcolet, et al, 1993). …” 

Maria Hernandez-Reif, Miguel Diego, Tiffany Field 2007

Infant Behavior and Development

“…However, in the present study, preterms receiving massage therapy did not consume any more calories than control infants, suggesting that greater calorie consumption did not underlie the effects of massage therapy on preterm infant weight gain in this sample. We have suggested that weight gain following massage therapy may be mediated by increased vagal activity and gastric motility (4,7). Massage therapy may stimulate the vagal efferent fibers that innervate the digestive system by stimulating baroreceptors and mechanoreceptors within the skin.…”

Miguel Diego, Tiffany Field, Maria Hernandez‐Reif et al. 2007

Acta Paediatrica