The effect of massage therapy on autonomic activity in critically ill children.

Evid Based Complement Alternat Med

Department of Pediatrics, BC Children's Hospital, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z3 ; Child and Family Research Institute, 950 West 28th Avenue, Vancouver, BC, Canada V5Z 4H4 ; Division of Critical Care, BC Children's Hospital, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6H 3V4.

Published: January 2015

Objectives. Our main objective was to describe the effect of foot and hand (F&H) massage on the autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity in children hospitalized in a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU); the secondary objectives were to assess the relationship between ANS function and the clinical severity and to explore the effects of repeated massage sessions on the ANS. Methods. Design was a descriptive experimental study. Intervention was single or six session(s) of F&H massage. ANS function was assessed through the frequency-domain analysis of heart rate variability. Main metrics included high and low frequency power (HF and LF), HF + LF, and LF/HF ratio. Results. Eighteen children participated in the study. A strong Spearman's correlation (ρ = -0.77) was observed between HF + LF and clinical severity. During massage, the parasympathetic activity (measured by HF) increased significantly from baseline (P = 0.04) with a mean percentage increase of 75% (95% CI: 20%∼130%). LF increased by 56% (95% CI: 20%∼92%) (P = 0.026). Repeated sessions were associated with a persistent effect on HF and LF which peaked at the second session and remained stable thereafter. Conclusions. HF + LF is positively correlated with clinical severity. F&H massage can improve the ANS activity and the effect persists when repeated sessions are offered.

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Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4283436PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/656750DOI Listing

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