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Evaluating the use of gas discharge visualization to measure massage therapy outcomes.

Journal of complementary & integrative medicine
September 1, 2015
Jolie Haun et al. (4 authors)
Comparative StudyJournal ArticleResearch Support, N.I.H., ExtramuralHuman Study
Study Details

Study Goal

The researchers aimed to evaluate the short-term bioenergetic and psychological effects of massage therapy using GDV measurements alongside traditional self-report measures.

Results Summary

Significant improvements were observed in well-being, pain, stress, muscle tension, and GDV parameters post-massage, with GDV measures correlating with pain and stress.

Population

23 healthy adults

Effective Dosage

Single 50-minute full-body relaxation massage

Duration

Single session

Interactions

None mentioned

Extracted Claims (7)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
massage therapy
increase
well-being
23 healthy adults
-
significant differences were found
#1
massage therapy
decrease
pain
23 healthy adults
-
significant differences were found
#2
massage therapy
decrease
stress
23 healthy adults
-
significant differences were found
#3
massage therapy
decrease
muscle tension
23 healthy adults
-
significant differences were found
#4
massage therapy
increase
GDV parameters
23 healthy adults
-
significant differences were found
#5
massage therapy
neutral
pain
23 healthy adults
-
GDV measure is correlated with
#6
massage therapy
neutral
stress
23 healthy adults
-
GDV measure is correlated with
#7
Abstract

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the short-term effects of massage therapy using gas discharge visualization (GDV), a computerized biophysical electrophoton capture (EPC), in tandem with traditional self-report measures to evaluate the use of GDV measurement to assess the bioenergetic whole-person effects of massage therapy. METHODS: This study used a single treatment group, pre-post-repeated measures design with a sample of 23 healthy adults. This study utilized a single 50-min full-body relaxation massage with participants. GDV measurement method, an EPC, and traditional paper-based measures evaluating pain, stress, muscle tension, and well-being were used to assess intervention outcomes. RESULTS: Significant differences were found between pre- and post-measures of well-being, pain, stress, muscle tension, and GDV parameters. Pearson correlations indicate the GDV measure is correlated with pain and stress, variables that impact the whole person. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that GDV parameters may be used to indicate significant bioenergetic change from pre- to post-massage. Findings warrant further investigation with a larger diverse sample size and control group to further explore GDV as a measure of whole-person bioenergetic effects associated with massage.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
AdultEnergy MetabolismFemaleGasesHumansMaleMassagePhotonsRelaxation TherapyRespiratory Function TestsSelf ReportStress, Psychological
Study Links
Quality Scores
SafetyNot Assessed
Efficacy75/10
Quality65/10
Citation Metrics
Total Citations2
Citations/Year0.2
Relative Citation Ratio0.11
NIH Percentile5.5%
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.25
Weight Score1.31
Normalized Score0.63
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