ArticlePaediatrics & child health2021
Massage therapy for paediatric procedural pain: A rapid review.
Article in Paediatrics & child health, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06163586 (Effects of Neonatal Therapeutic Touch and Massage in Very Preterm and Extremely Preterm Neonates), which is not on this map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
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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 Neonatal Therapeutic Touch and Massage in Very Preterm and Extremely Preterm Neonates: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed, 7 citations in OpenAlex.
- Review of paediatric pharmacological and non-pharmacological procedural comfort strategies.BMJ paediatrics open · 2026Review
- The impact of music, play, and pet therapies in managing pain and anxiety in paediatric patients in hospital: a rapid systematic review.Paediatrics & child health · 2023Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPain is a common paediatric problem, and procedural pain, in particular, can be difficult to manage. Complementary therapies are often sought for pain management, including massage therapy (MT). We assessed the evidence for use of MT for acute procedural pain management in children.
methodsWe searched five main databases for (i) primary studies in English, (ii) included children 0 to 18 years of age, (iii) compared MT for procedural pain management to standard care alone or placebo, and (iv) measured pain as the primary or secondary outcome. The data were extracted by one author and verified by a second author. Randomized controlled trials were evaluated using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool.
resultsEleven paediatric trials of procedural pain in neonatal, burn, and oncology populations, a total of 771 participants, were identified. Eight reported statistically significant reductions in pain after MT compared to standard care. Pain was measured using validated pain scales, or physiologic indicators. The studies were heterogeneous in population, techniques, and outcome measures used. No adverse events associated with MT were identified.
conclusionMT may be an effective nonpharmacologic adjunct for management of procedural pain in children.
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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.