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Effect of massage therapy on children with asthma
Nekooee A, Faghihinia J, Ghasemy R, Ghaibizadeh M, Ghazavi Z
Iranian Journal of Pediatrics 2008 Jun;18(2):123-129
clinical trial
4/10 [Eligibility criteria: Yes; Random allocation: Yes; Concealed allocation: No; Baseline comparability: Yes; Blind subjects: No; Blind therapists: No; Blind assessors: No; Adequate follow-up: No; Intention-to-treat analysis: No; Between-group comparisons: Yes; Point estimates and variability: Yes. Note: Eligibility criteria item does not contribute to total score] *This score has been confirmed*

OBJECTIVE: Asthma is the most common illness in childhood and despite significant improvements for disease control and development of many different drugs its prevalence is increasing worldwide, Recently, the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in treatment of many diseases is increasing. The aim of this study to investigate the effect of massage therapy on children with asthma. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In this work, 44 asthmatic children aged 5 to 14 years were studied in the allergy and asthma clinic. The samples were chosen randomly divided into two groups. The first group received massage therapy the second group received routine therapy and care (control group). Parents in the massage group were instructed and asked to conduct a 20 minutes child massage every night at bedtime for one month. The massage involved stroking and kneading motions in face, head, neck, shoulder, arm, hands, legs, feet and back. Data was collected through interview and spiromentry measurements. The control group received only standard asthma therapy for one month. A spirometry along with exercise was done in both groups at baseline. A one month ambulatory observation followed. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the findings. FINDINGS: There was a statistically significant difference in mean spirometric indexes in message group at baseline and after one month follow up (forced vital capacity (FVC) with (p = 0.05), forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) with (p = 0.02) and FEV1 after exercise with (p = 0.0005). Indeed; there is significant difference between mean changes of FVC (2 minus 1) with (p = 0.05) and FEV1 (2 minus 1) in two groups with (p = 0.04). CONCLUSION: According to the obtained results, daily massage can improved airway tonicity, decrease airway sensitivity, and better control of asthma. Applying this method can decline the use of non reasonable drugs and can be considered as a complementary to pharmaceutical methods.

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