Background Hand massage therapies have been used to relieve anxiety and pain in various clinical situations. The effects of machine-based hand massage on preoperative anxiety in ambulatory surgery settings have not been evaluated. Purpose This prospective study was designed to investigate the effect of machine-based hand massage on preoperative anxiety and vital signs in ambulatory surgery patients. Methods One hundred ninety-nine patients aged 18 years and older who were scheduled to receive ambulatory surgery were recruited from the Taipei Municipal Wanfang Hospital in Taipei City, Taiwan. The patients were assigned randomly to the experimental group ( n = 101), which received presurgical machine-based hand massage therapy, and the control group ( n = 98), which received no intervention. The patients in both groups completed the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory short form at preintervention (baseline) and postintervention. Results Within-group comparisons of Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory short form scores showed significant decreases between preintervention and postintervention scores in the experimental group (44.3 ± 11.2 to 37.9 ± 8.7) and no significant change in the control group. Within-group comparisons of vital signs revealed a significant increase in mean respiration rate between baseline and postintervention in both groups (both p s < .05). Blood pressure was found to have decreased significantly only in the control group at postintervention ( p < .05). No significant preintervention to postintervention change in pulse was observed in either group. Conclusions The findings of this study indicate that machine-based hand massage reduces anxiety significantly in patients awaiting ambulatory surgery while not significantly affecting their vital signs.

We aimed to determine the effect of vibration frequency and direction on upper-limb muscle activation using a handheld vibrator. We recruited 19 healthy participants who were instructed to hold a handheld vibrator in their dominant hand and maintain the elbow at 90° flexion, while vertical and horizontal vibrations were applied with frequencies of 15, 30, 45, and 60 Hz for 60 s each. Surface electromyography (EMG) measured the activities of the flexor digitorum superficialis (FDS), flexor carpi radialis (FCR), extensor carpi ulnaris (ECU), extensor carpi radialis (ECR), biceps, triceps, and deltoid anterior muscles. EMG changes were evaluated as the difference in muscle activity between vibration and no-vibration (0 Hz) conditions. Muscle activity was induced under vibration conditions in both vertical and horizontal (p < 0.05) directions. At 45 Hz, FDS and FCR activities increased during horizontal vibrations, compared with those during vertical vibrations. ECU activity significantly increased under 15-Hz vertical vibrations compared with that during horizontal vibrations. Vibrations from the handheld vibrator significantly induced upper-limb muscle activity. The maximum muscle activations for FDS, ECR, ECU, biceps, and triceps were induced by 45-Hz horizontal vibration. The 60-Hz vertical and 30-Hz horizontal vibrations facilitated maximum muscle activations for the FCR and deltoid anterior, respectively.