Massage therapy reduces pain and anxiety after cardiac surgery: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials

Background

Cardiac surgery is one of the most frequently performed surgeries worldwide and its postoperative period is associated with complications. Studies show that massage therapy alone or accompanied by other complementary treatments is beneficial in reducing pain and psychological symptoms.

Objective

The aim of this study was to review the effects of treatment with massage therapy on the symptoms of pain and anxiety reported by patients who underwent heart surgery.

Methods

The electronic databases searched were (from inception to March 2016): MEDLINE, PEDro, Cochrane CENTRAL and EMBASE. In addition, a manual search of the references on the published papers used in the study was performed. These included randomized clinical trials with patients who underwent heart surgery, comparing the postoperative treatment with massage and the usual treatment. Studies that did not provide necessary information were excluded from the meta-analysis. The primary outcome extracted was pain measured by the visual analog scale. The other outcome was anxiety.

Results

A number of 962 records was identified in the database search; 10 randomized clinical trials were included in the systematic review, providing data on 888 individuals. Massage therapy was associated with decreased pain (− 1.52 [95% CI, − 2.2, − 0.84; I2 91%], p < 0.0001) and with lower anxiety in the postoperative period when compared to the control group (− 1.48 [95% CI, − 1.93, − 1.04; I2 0%], p < 0.0001).

Conclusion

Massage therapy might be a useful method to reduce pain and anxiety in patients undergoing cardiac surgery.