Effectiveness of massage therapy for constipation in children with cerebral palsy: A systematic review and meta-analysis

IF 4 3区医学 Q1 INTEGRATIVE & COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE

Complementary therapies in medicine Pub Date : 2025-11-01 Epub Date: 2025-10-07 DOI:10.1016/j.ctim.2025.103254

Mengqi Li , Guorui Ding , Ruobing Lan , Yu Li , Shuying Guan , Xiaolei Lu , Yuxing Zhang , Duo Zhao

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background

Constipation affects 75 % of children with cerebral palsy (CP). While massage is a safe non-invasive intervention, its clinical adoption remains limited due to insufficient evidence of its efficacy.

Objective

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of massage for CP-related constipation through meta-analysis.

Methods

Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, we searched seven databases for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) on pediatric CP-related constipation treated with massage. Eligible RCTs underwent Cochrane risk-of-bias assessment. Meta-analysis using Stata evaluated the overall efficacy, defecation parameters, and heterogeneity sources.

Results

A total of 11 RCTs involving 728 patients were included. The results of the meta-analysis showed that, compared with traditional therapy alone, massage was more effective in treating constipation in children with CP. This difference was statistically significant (p < 0.05), as evaluated by the overall effective rate (RR, Relative Risk = 1.23; 95 % CI, 95 % Confidence Interval = 1.14, 1.33), defecation frequency (MD, Mean Difference = 1.57; 95 % CI = 0.40, 2.75), defecation time (MD = -3.23; 95 % CI = -3.82, -2.64), and stool form score (SMD, Standardized Mean Difference = 0.66; 95 % CI = 0.39, 0.94), confirming the superior efficacy of massage over conventional therapy. However, both interventions showed comparable effects on defecation difficulty (p > 0.05). The baseline patient characteristics, duration and techniques of the massage, and efficacy of the control group intervention may be the sources of heterogeneity.

Conclusion

Massage therapy improves constipation symptoms in children with CP. These results require validation through larger, high-quality RCTs given the sample size limitations of the current study.

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推拿治疗脑瘫患儿便秘的疗效：系统综述和meta分析。

背景：便秘影响75%的脑瘫（CP）患儿。虽然按摩是一种安全的非侵入性干预，但由于其有效性证据不足，其临床应用仍然有限。目的：通过meta分析，评价推拿治疗cp相关性便秘的疗效和安全性。方法：根据系统评价和荟萃分析的首选报告项目（PRISMA）指南，我们检索了7个数据库，检索了按摩治疗小儿cp相关便秘的随机对照试验（RCTs）。符合条件的随机对照试验进行Cochrane风险偏倚评估。meta分析使用Stata评估总体疗效、排便参数和异质性来源。结果：共纳入11项rct， 728例患者。meta分析结果显示，与单纯传统疗法相比，推拿治疗CP患儿便秘更有效，总有效率（RR, Relative Risk = 1.23, 95% CI， 95%可信区间= 1.14,1.33）、排便频率（MD, Mean difference = 1.57, 95% CI = 0.40, 2.75）、排便时间（MD = -3.23, p < 0.05），差异有统计学意义（p < 0.05）。95% CI = -3.82, -2.64)，粪便形态评分（SMD，标准化平均差= 0.66;95% CI = 0.39, 0.94），证实按摩优于常规治疗。然而，两种干预措施对排便困难的影响相当（p < 0.05）。患者的基线特征、按摩的持续时间和手法以及对照组干预的效果可能是异质性的来源。结论：按摩治疗可改善CP患儿的便秘症状。鉴于当前研究的样本量限制，这些结果需要通过更大、高质量的随机对照试验来验证。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Complementary therapies in medicine 医学-全科医学与补充医学

CiteScore

8.60

自引率

2.80%

发文量

101

审稿时长

112 days

期刊介绍： Complementary Therapies in Medicine is an international, peer-reviewed journal that has considerable appeal to anyone who seeks objective and critical information on complementary therapies or who wishes to deepen their understanding of these approaches. It will be of particular interest to healthcare practitioners including family practitioners, complementary therapists, nurses, and physiotherapists; to academics including social scientists and CAM researchers; to healthcare managers; and to patients. Complementary Therapies in Medicine aims to publish valid, relevant and rigorous research and serious discussion articles with the main purpose of improving healthcare.