Pain Management

Pain Management and

Massage Therapy

By KellieAnn Halvorsen

Article Summary of a Research Project for a Biology course

taken at SLCC. Article titled The Effects of Massage

Therapy on Pain Management in the Acute Care Setting

Introduction

Pain is a problem; well actually pain is a signal to the brain from the body that there is a problem, in order to tell you to do something to stop the problem. Pain is an unpleasant sensation; it helps us get out of dangerous situations, remove our hand from the hot stove, to see a doctor when you have appendicitis, and to protect the broken foot while it is healing. Managing pain is an important issue for hospitals, particularly ones that deal with severe illnesses, like in an acute care setting. Every person’s perception of pain is different but the stress and anxiety related with hospitalization can increase that pain, limiting physical functions and slowing down the recovery process. Massage Therapy alters pain perception and is the most prescribed form of CIM (Complimentary and Integrative Medicine) Therapy, being noted for being beneficial and the least likely to be harmful.

Materials and Methods

This study was conducted by, and at, a nonprofit hospital in northern Arizona, Flagstaff Medical Center. The main question posed is “Does the use of Massage Therapy in an inpatient setting improve patients perception of pain management?” 53 patients with a variety of conditions and pain levels completed this study, working with 3 Licensed Massage Therapist whom have advanced training and experiences. Patients recorded pain levels on a scale between 1-10, called the Visual Analog Scale (or VAS), before and after each session of Massage therapy, 33 filled out surveys evaluating results and were encouraged to comment freely on massage as well. Nurse’s notes were analyzed from the patients’ hospital paperwork for relative entries. This study also evaluated affects on: relaxation level, sleep, ability to move, ability to participate in therapies, pain medication level, emotional well-being and healing. The 15-45 minute bedside sessions followed a scripted dialog and included a variety of modalities of Massage adjusted to the medical needs of each patient. The number of sessions performed depended on the length of stay in the hospital (note most patients received only 1 massage). No Control Group was included as well as no physical indicators such as heart rates, toxicology or oxygen absorption, were recorded.

Results

53 patients of the original 65 completed the project. An astounding 98% reported improved relaxation; the average pain reduced was significant from 5.18-2.33, an average reduction of 2.85, on this 10 point scale. Only 1 patient felt no effect on their pain level and notably none reported an increase in pain level or any negative effect from Massage Therapy. The survey asked “Do you plan to continue using massage therapy in your healing process?” 67.2% responded Yes, 15.1% said no and 18.9 % didn't know.

45 of the participants returned the survey of which 33 contained data relative to quality. 16/33 felt less pain, 17/33 specifically mentioned increased relaxation,10 nurses comments noting the same. 8 patients mentioned improved Emotional well being including: decreased anxiety, better state of mind, attitude improvement, and human contact; 2 nurses commenting on the same issues. Noted also was an increased Ability to sleep and quality of sleep.10 patients said it helped with healing; both spiritual recovery and therapeutic. Overarching all this is that astonishingly 52.7% felt they needed less pain medication due to using Massage Therapy.

Discussion

This study shows that Massage Therapy is effective as a Complimentary and Integrative Medicine, helping with pain management in an acute care setting regardless of the medical condition. These positive results help a patient manage stress and anxiety that can come with hospitalization, as well with the physical challenges of healing. Integrating massage therapy into hospital protocols would decrease the need of pain medications and support the healing process because it has a positive effect on pain levels, relieves stress/anxiety, increases sleep quality, and lead to more balanced emotional health and helps assist the recovery/healing process.

Further Discussion On A More Personal Note

I am a Massage Therapist and I have seen many times in my career the dramatic and often life changing differences Massage Therapy can have on an individual. This has been an amazing opportunity to really read and explore this research paper and confirm in my mind, what has already been confirmed in my heart; that massage helps people not only physically but mentally, emotionally, spiritually and socially. I have personally seen many times the results of this very project play out on my table, people feel less pain and if a client chooses to, he can change his life, continuing the process of healing and improve the quality of his life significantly. I hope and pray that more clinical research goes into studying this field. I would love to see larger samples taken, more controlled and specific experiments with control groups to explore the “placebo effect”, have physical indicators recorded, analysis of long term effects of regular massage. To lead to more of an integration between Massage Therapy, the medical world, medication development, and better preventative care/ physical fitness methods. I want to increased client education and self-awareness level, to empower them to take care of their bodies. Because just as this paper has found, I have found that overall: MASSAGE HELPS!