Relaxation Rx: Slow Stroke Back Rub

Effects of a Bedtime Massage on Relaxation in Nursing Home Residents with Sleep Disorders

“…The ability of this intervention to produce a relaxation response in longterm-care facility residents is consistent with the evidence base that exists regarding the use of massage with the elderly (Fakouri & Jones, 1987;FerrellTorry & Glick, 1993;Fraser & Kerr, 1993;Meek, 1993;Mok & Woo, 2004;Rowe & Alfred, 1999;Smith et al, 1999). Of significance, however, is the fact that this study was the first to demonstrate that this specific massage protocol could produce a relaxation response in older adults residing in a nursing home.…”

“…Additionally, massage is ideal in a nursing home setting because it can be administered both in a relatively brief period of time and by a variety of health professionals when provided as part of patient care. Weinrich, Haddock, and Robinson (1999) identified several studies that demonstrated the positive effects of therapeutic massage that have particular relevance for individuals providing treatment to older adults including physical and psychological relaxation (Collinge, 1996;Keegan, 1995;Longworth, 1982;Meek, 1993;Russell, 1994), improvement of circulation (Corley, Ferriter, Zeh, & Gifford, 1995), pain control (Ferrell-Torry & Glick, 1993;Weinrich & Weinrich, 1990), relaxation of muscles (Fakouri & Jones, 1987;Meek, 1993), reduction of anxiety (Ferrell-Torry & Glick, 1993), improvement in mood (Corley et al, 1995;Hillard, 1995), increase in nonverbal responses (Langland & Panicucci, 1982), positive self-appraisal (Copstead, 1980), and decrease in agitation (Snyder, Egan, & Burns, 1995). Other studies have also supported the use of massage with older adults in promoting relaxation (Smith, Stallings, Mariner, & Burrall, 1999), reducing the use of SHDs (McDowell, Mion, Lydon, & Inouye, 1998), reducing pain (Kunstler, Greenblatt, & Moreno, 2004;Sansone & Schmitt, 2000;Tse, Pun, & Benzie, 2005), reducing agitation (Holiday-Welsh, Gessert, & Reiner, 2009;Kim & Buschmann, 1999;Rowe & Alfred, 1999), and reducing anxiety (Rho, Han, Kim, & Lee, 2006;Sansone & Schmitt, 2000).…”

Insomnia Among Hospitalized Older Persons

“…A technique called ''slowstroke back massage'' has been traditionally used by nurses. Approximately 5 to 10 minutes of massage can induce a relaxation response, reduce the heart rate, respiratory rate, muscle tension, even decrease pain and anxiety, and improve sleep [77][78][79]. This type of back massage was used in the multicomponent study by McDowell and colleagues [80], which is discussed Box 2.…”

Changes in Blood Pressure After Various Forms of Therapeutic Massage: A Preliminary Study

“…Kaufmann 2 and Longworth 3 show no significant difference in BP before and after massage, whereas several other studies demonstrate significant decreases. [4][5][6][7][8][9][10] Such variability in outcomes may result from the limited number of subjects within most previous studies along with a lack of clearly defined form of massage used. The purpose of this preliminary study is to measure the change in BP before and after receipt of a therapeutic massage in normotensive and prehypertensive adults, and to determine if BP changes are associated with certain patient characteristics or the type, duration, or force of massage.…”