Inhibitory Effects of Pain and Negative Emotions Related to Pain Perception by Effleurage Massage: A Randomized Controlled Study

Abstract

Conflicting evidence exists regarding the analgesic effects of massage therapy - a non-pharmacological intervention. This single-masked, randomized controlled trial, performed using a crossover design, aimed to examine the effects of local effleurage massage on pain sensitivity and emotions. Cold pain stimulus was used to evaluate stimuli to the hands of 35 healthy women. Massage effects were evaluated using pain threshold, pain tolerance, pain intensity, salivary α-amylase values, and the psychological scale Profile of Mood States (POMS). Pain tolerance was significantly longer under massage than control conditions (p < 0.05). Moreover, pain intensity exhibited a possible trend toward significance under massage conditions compared to the control conditions (p = 0.054). Psychological evaluation using the POMS also revealed a significant difference between the pre-experimental values and massage conditions values in the depression-dejection subscale (p < 0.05). These findings indicate that effleurage massage could serve as a temporary and useful anti-nociceptive strategy for patients with pain.