Trial reportJournal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.)2012
A preliminary study of the effects of repeated massage on hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal and immune function in healthy individuals: a study of mechanisms of action and dosage.
Trial report in Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.), 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 2 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 38 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Effects of a Single Session of Massage Therapy in Salivary Cortisol Levels in Asymptomatic Persons With Administrative Tasks and / or Office Work.
Massage for Prostate Cancer-Related Fatigue (mPROSTATE)
Who cites it
38 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 93 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effects of massage therapy on pain and anxiety intensity in patients with burns: A systematic review and meta-analysis.International wound journal · 2023Pooled it
- Massage, reflexology and other manual methods for pain management in labour.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2018Pooled it
- Impact of the practice of touch-massage® by a nurse on the anxiety of patients with hematological disorders hospitalized in a sterile environment, a randomized, controlled study.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2024Trial
- Repeated Massage Improves Swimmers' Perceptions during Training Sessions but Not Sprint and Functional Performance: A Randomized Controlled Trial.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Trial
- Trial
- Traditional Thai Massage Promoted Immunity in the Elderly via Attenuation of Senescent CD4+ T Cell Subsets: A Randomized Crossover Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Trial
- Efficacy and Safety of Massage for Osteoarthritis of the Knee: a Randomized Clinical Trial.Journal of general internal medicine · 2019Trial
- The Effects of Hand Massage on Stress and Agitation Among People with Dementia in a Hospital Setting: A Pilot Study.Applied psychophysiology and biofeedback · 2018Trial
- Massage therapy decreases cancer-related fatigue: Results from a randomized early phase trial.Cancer · 2018Trial
- Acute Swedish Massage Monotherapy Successfully Remediates Symptoms of Generalized Anxiety Disorder: A Proof-of-Concept, Randomized Controlled Study.The Journal of clinical psychiatry · 2016Trial
- Mechano responsiveness of neuroimmune cross-talk in bone and joints: A narrative review with implications for force-based manipulations.Musculoskeletal science & practice · 2026Review
- Hospice Care's Influence on Pain, Sleep, Anxiety, and Depression: A Focus on Elderly Survivors of Cancer Chemotherapy.Actas espanolas de psiquiatria · 2026Article
- MASSAG model: Towards an integrative neuroscience framework linking emotional trauma, pain, and mechanisms of force-based manipulations.Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews · 2026Review
- Physiological changes of cortisol and oxytocin following manual therapy: a scoping review.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciences · 2026Review
- Comparing Massage, Acupressure, and Combined Therapy for Managing Cancer-related Pain, Fatigue, and Sleep Disturbance: A 2 × 2 Factorial Randomized Controlled Trial.International journal of therapeutic massage & bodywork · 2025Article
- Review
- Soft tissue manipulation enhances recovery of muscle mass in a disuse model of sarcopenia.Journal of osteopathic medicine · 2025Article
- Recharging Healthcare Professionals: A Randomized Controlled Trial on the Impact of Automated Massage Chairs on Depression, Anxiety, Stress, Musculoskeletal Pain, and Biochemical Markers.Health science reports · 2025Article
- Massage therapy in rheumatoid arthritis.Rheumatology international · 2025Review
- Modern Smart Gadgets and Wearables for Diagnosis and Management of Stress, Wellness, and Anxiety: A Comprehensive Review.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesThis study gathers preliminary data about the biologic effects of repeated Swedish massage therapy compared to a light-touch control condition.
designThe study design was a 5-week comparison of repeated Swedish massage and light touch on oxytocin (OT), arginine-vasopressin (AVP), adrenal corticotropin hormone (ACTH), cortisol (CORT), circulating phenotypic lymphocyte markers, and mitogen-stimulated cytokine function.
settingThe setting was an outpatient research unit in an academic medical center.
participantsThe study subjects were medically and psychiatrically healthy young adults.
interventionThe study comprised 45 minutes of Swedish massage or light touch, using highly specified and identical protocols, either weekly or twice weekly for 5 weeks. OUTCOME MEASURES: The outcome measures were mean differences between massage and light touch on OT, AVP, ACTH, CORT, lymphocyte markers, and cytokine levels.
resultsCompared to the touch control condition, weekly Swedish massage stimulated a sustained pattern of increased circulating phenotypic lymphocyte markers and decreased mitogen-stimulated cytokine production, similar to what was previously reported for a single massage session, while having minimal effect on hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal function. Twice-weekly massage produced a different response pattern with increased OT levels, decreased AVP, and decreased CORT but little effect on circulating lymphocyte phenotypic markers and a slight increase in mitogen-stimulated interferon-γ, tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin (IL)-1b and IL-2 levels, suggesting increased production of pro-inflammatory cytokines.
conclusionsThere are sustained cumulative biologic actions for the massage and touch interventions that persist for several days or a week, and these differ profoundly depending on the dosage (frequency) of sessions. Confirmatory studies in larger samples are needed.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.