Massage on experimental pain in healthy females: a randomized controlled trial.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to evaluate the effect of massage on affect, relaxation, and experimental pain induced by electrical stimulation.
Results Summary
The study found that massage conditions (with or without guided imagery) reduced pain unpleasantness, lowered unpleasant affect, maintained pleasant affect, and increased relaxation compared to no treatment, though no differences were observed in pain intensity, threshold, or tolerance.
Population
96 healthy women (mean age 20.13 ± 5.93 years; 84.4% White).
Effective Dosage
15-minute massage session.
Duration
15 minutes.
Interactions
None mentioned.
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
massage | no change | pain intensity | 96 healthy women | - | no group differences | #1 |
massage | no change | pain threshold | 96 healthy women | - | no group differences | #2 |
massage | no change | pain tolerance | 96 healthy women | - | no group differences | #3 |
massage | decrease | pain unpleasantness | 96 healthy women | - | decreased | #4 |
massage | decrease | unpleasant affect | 96 healthy women | - | lower | #5 |
massage | no change | pleasant affect | 96 healthy women | - | maintenance of | #6 |
massage | increase | relaxation | 96 healthy women | - | increased | #7 |
This randomized controlled study evaluated the effect of massage on affect, relaxation, and experimental pain induced by electrical stimulation. Participants were 96 healthy women (M age = 20.13 ± 5.93 years; 84.4% White) randomly assigned to a 15-minute no-treatment control, guided imagery, massage or massage plus guided imagery condition. Multilevel piecewise modeling revealed no group differences in pain intensity, threshold, or tolerance. The two massage conditions generally reported decreased pain unpleasantness, lower unpleasant affect, maintenance of pleasant affect, and increased relaxation compared to the no-treatment condition. The results suggest that massage may alter immediate affective qualities in the context of pain.