ReviewChildren (Basel, Switzerland)2017
Review of Randomized Controlled Trials of Massage in Preterm Infants.
Review in Children (Basel, Switzerland), 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 3 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 23 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.
Soft Tissue Therapy in Managing Procedural Pain Among Neonates Admitted in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: A Single Group, Pretest Posttest Quasi Experimental Study.
Tactile and Kinaesthetic Stimulation in Preterm Neonates With Hyperbilirubinaemia
Effects of Neonatal Therapeutic Touch and Massage in Very Preterm and Extremely Preterm Neonates: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Who cites it
23 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Effects of Infant Massage: A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Pooled it
- The effect of massage on feeding intolerance in preterm infants: a systematic review and meta-analysis study.Italian journal of pediatrics · 2020Pooled it
- The Effect of Auricular Massage on Naso-Oral Suctioning Procedural Pain in Premature Neonates: A Randomized Controlled Crossover Study.TheScientificWorldJournal · 2025Trial
- The state of infant massage use in neonatal intensive care units.Journal of perinatology : official journal of the California Perinatal Association · 2026Article
- Effect of Massage With Verbal Contact by Mothers of Premature Infants on Maternal Attachment and Infant's Motor Performance: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Health science reports · 2026Article
- Through Massage to the Brain-Neuronal and Neuroplastic Mechanisms of Massage Based on Various Neuroimaging Techniques (EEG, fMRI, and fNIRS).Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Review
- Effectiveness of nurse-led combined modalities on the physiological parameters of preterm neonates admitted to neonatal intensive care units at a selected tertiary care hospital.Journal of education and health promotion · 2025Article
- Characteristics of intervention studies on family-centred care in neonatal intensive care units: a scoping review of randomised controlled trials.BMJ paediatrics open · 2024Article
- Effect of Massage on treatment of preterm feeding intolerance: Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.Nursing open · 2023Article
- Effects of massage therapy on preterm infants and their mothers: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2023Review
- Designing artificial circadian environments with multisensory cares for supporting preterm infants' growth in NICUs.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2023Review
- Effectiveness of multistimulation approach on feeding habits of low-birth-weight babies-A randomized control trial.European journal of obstetrics & gynecology and reproductive biology: X · 2022Article
- A qualitative study on mothers' experiences attending an online infant massage class: "It is funny! I feel close to my baby!"BMC nursing · 2022Article
- The power of "touch" and early enriched stimulation: neuroplasticity effects in rodents and preterm infants.Neural regeneration research · 2022Article
- Effect of Massage with Oil Balanced in Essential Fatty Acids on Development and Lipid Parameters in Very Premature Neonates: A Randomized, Controlled Study.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Affective touch in the context of development, oxytocin signaling, and autism.Frontiers in psychology · 2022Review
- Physical Therapy to Prevent Osteopenia in Preterm Infants: A Systematic Review.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Review
- Nursing support perceived by mothers of preterm infants in a neonatal intensive care unit in South Korea.Child health nursing research · 2021Article
- Pressure Point Thresholds and ME/CFS Comorbidity as Indicators of Patient's Response to Manual Physiotherapy in Fibromyalgia.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Article
- To Individualize the Management Care of High-Risk Infants With Oral Feeding Challenges: What Do We Know? What Can We Do?Frontiers in pediatrics · 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
1 author.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Preterm birth affects about 10% of infants born in the United States. Massage therapy is being used in some neonatal intensive care units for its potential beneficial effects on preterm infants. This article reviews published randomized controlled trials on the effects of massage in preterm infants. Most studies evaluating the effect of massage in weight gain in premature infants suggest a positive effect on weight gain. Increase in vagal tone has been reported in infants who receive massage and has been suggested as a possible mechanism for improved weight gain. More studies are needed on the underlying mechanisms of the effects of massage therapy on weight gain in preterm infants. While some trials suggest improvements in developmental scores, decreased stress behavior, positive effects on immune system, improved pain tolerance and earlier discharge from the hospital, the number of such studies is small and further evidence is needed. Further studies, including randomized controlled trials, are needed on the effects of massage in preterm infants.
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.