ArticleJournal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.)2015
Pilot study of massage in veterans with knee osteoarthritis.
Article in Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.), 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 9 citations in OpenAlex.
- A Commentary on the Potential Impact of Massage Therapy on Military Veterans.International journal of therapeutic massage & bodywork · 2025Article
- Investigation on Musculoskeletal Injury and Psychological Empowerment of Reflexologists in Taiwan: Analysis of the Recognition to Alternative Therapy.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Foot Reflexology: Recent Research Trends and Prospects.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Review
- Integrating Massage Therapy Into the Health Care of Female Veterans.Federal practitioner : for the health care professionals of the VA, DoD, and PHS · 2022Article
- Reducing Opioid Prescriptions Lowers Consumption Without Detriment to Patient-Reported Pain Interference Scores After Total Hip and Knee Arthroplasties.Arthroplasty today · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesTo (1) assess the feasibility and acceptability of Swedish massage among Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care users with knee osteoarthritis (OA) and (2) collect preliminary data on efficacy of Swedish massage in this patient group.
designExperimental pilot study.
settingDuke Integrative Medicine clinic and VA Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina. PATIENTS: Twenty-five veterans with symptomatic knee OA.
interventionsEight weekly 1-hour sessions of full-body Swedish massage. OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary: Western Ontario and McMaster University Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) and global pain (Visual Analog Scale [VAS]). Secondary: National Institutes of Health Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System-Pain Interference Questionnaire 6b (PROMIS-PI 6b), 12-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12 v1) and the EuroQol health status index (EQ-5D-5L), knee range of motion (ROM), and time to walk 50 feet.
resultsStudy feasibility was established by a 92% retention rate with 99% of massage visits and 100% of research visits completed. Results showed significant improvements in self-reported OA-related pain, stiffness and function (30% improvement in Global WOMAC scores; p=0.001) and knee pain over the past 7 days (36% improvement in VAS score; p<0.001). PROMIS-PI, EQ-5D-5L, and physical composite score of the SF-12 also significantly improved (p<0.01 for all), while the mental composite score of the SF-12 and knee ROM showed trends toward significant improvement. Time to walk 50 feet did not significantly improve.
conclusionsResults of this pilot study support the feasibility and acceptability of Swedish massage among VA health care users as well as preliminary data suggesting its efficacy for reducing pain due to knee OA. If results are confirmed in a larger randomized trial, massage could be an important component of regular care for these patients.
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.