Massage therapy for patients undergoing autologous bone marrow transplantation

The purpose of the current study was to examine the impact of massage thera py 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 therap y, consisting of 20-minute sessions of shoulder, neck, head, and facial mas sage, or (b) standard treatment. Overall effects of massage therapy on anxi ety, depression, and mood were assessed pretreatment, midtreatment, and pri or to discharge using the State-Trait Anxiety inventory, Beck Depression In ventory, and Brief Profile of Mood States, respectively. The immediate effe cts of massage were measured via the State Anxiety Inventory, Numerical Sca les of Distress, Fatigue, Nausea, and Pain and indices of psychophysiologic al arousal (heart rate, blood pressure and respiration, rate), collected pr ior to and following patients' first, fifth, and final massage (on Days -7, midtreatment, and predischarge). Analysis of the data evaluating the effec ts of massage showed that patients in the massage therapy group demonstrate d significantly larger reductions in distress, fatigue, nausea, and State A nxiety than the standard treatment group at Day -7, in State Anxiety at mid treatment, and in fatigue at the predischarge assessment. The overall measu res of psychological symptoms measured at pretreatment, midtreatment, and p rior to discharge showed no overall group differences, although the massage group scored significantly lower on the State Anxiety Inventory than the s tandard 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. (C) U.S. Cancer Pain Relie f Committee, 1999.