Written by Helen Cooke, Helen Seers and the CAM-Cancer Consortium.
Updated May 9, 2012

Massage (Classical/Swedish)

Does it work?

Ernst (2009) 14 conducted a systematic review including randomised controlled trials testing the effectiveness of classical massage on palliative and supportive care for cancer patients. Fourteen randomised controlled trials published up until November 2008 were identified. Overall results suggested that massage may help relieve pain, nausea, anxiety, fatigue, stress, anger and depression. However, due to poor methodology, the evidence to date cannot be considered to be conclusive and further studies are needed. Methodological problems included too small sample sizes, problems providing a control condition for comparison with massage, and lack of evaluation of long-term effects of massage. This is also in line with a systematic review published by Jane et al. (2008)15 and also a non-systematic review published by Myers et al. (2008)16.

Wilkinson et al. (2006)17 evaluated the evidence base for the effectiveness of massage (including aromatherapy) for people with cancer, particularly considering quality of life, psychological or physical problems and adverse effects. They considered any trials published up to September 2006, and included randomised controlled trial, pre-post test studies and interrupted time-series studies. A total of ten studies were identified. Results suggest that massage may reduce anxiety on a short term, and it may reduce physical symptoms in cancer patients, such as nausea and pain. However, the quality of publications was poor and further, well-designed and larger trials with longer follow-up periods are needed in order to draw more firm conclusions about the efficacy and effectiveness of massage for cancer patients.

Hughes et al. (2008)18 evaluated massage as a supportive care intervention for children with cancer. Their non-systematic review concluded that light to medium pressure massage may help reduce pain, anxiety, depression, constipation and high blood pressure in children with cancer. Furthermore they found that massage could help support the function of the immune system during periods of immune suppression following cancer treatments such as chemotherapy.

Lee et al. (2011)19 conducted a systematic review testing the effectiveness of massage as an adjunctive treatment for breast cancer patients. All prospective randomised clinical trials (n=6) of massage therapy for breast cancer patients were included. One large randomised controlled trial showed significant differences in physical discomfort (reduction in pain) and mood disturbance compared to the waiting list control group20. Although some of the studies reported positive effects including anxiety, depression and pain, the meta-analysis of the randomised clinical trials overall failed to show favourable effects. Collectively the evidence from this systematic review is insufficient to suggest that massage is an effective care option for breast cancer patients.

A 2011 narrative review21 examined the effectiveness of massage therapy for pain, anxiety and depression in patients receiving palliative oncology care. The review concluded that massage therapy positively contributed to the reduction of pain, anxiety and depression. Due to the small number of trials (n=6) included in this review there is insufficient evidence to suggest massage is an effective intervention for seriously ill cancer patients.

Citation

Helen Cooke, Helen Seers, CAM-Cancer Consortium. Massage (Classical/Swedish) [online document]. http://www.cam-cancer.org/CAM-Summaries/Manipulative-body-based/Massage-Classical-Swedish. May 9, 2012.

Document history

Last updated and revised in January 2012 by Helen Cooke.
Summary first published in October 2010, authored by Helen Seers.

References

  1. Natural Standard: Massage [online]. www.naturalstandard.com, accessed 1 December 2011.
  2. Ernst E, Pittler MH, Wider B, Boddy K (2008) Oxford Handbook of Complementary Medicine. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
  3. Ernst E, Pittler MH, Wider B, Boddy K (2006). The desktop guide to complementary and alternative medicine, 2nd edn. Elsevier Mosby, Edinburgh
  4. Frey Law LA, Evans S, Knudtson J, Nus S, Scholl K, Sluka KA (2008) Massage reduces pain perception and hyperalgesia in experimental muscle pain: a randomized, controlled trial. J Pain 9(8):714–721
  5. Coelho HF, Boddy K, Ernst E (2008) Massage therapy for the treatment of depression: a systematic review. Int J Clin Pract 62(2):325–333
  6. Durkin JL, Harvey A, Hughson RL, Callaghan JP (2006) The effects of lumbar massage on muscle fatigue, muscle oxygenation, low back discomfort, and driver performance during prolonged driving. Ergonomics 49(1):28–44
  7. Ouchi Y, Kanno T, Okada H, Yoshikawa E, Shinke T, Nagasawa S et al (2006) Changes in cerebral blood flow under the prone condition with and without massage. Neurosci Lett 407(2):131–135
  8. Aourell M, Skoog M, Carleson J (2005) Effects of Swedish massage on blood pressure. Complement Ther Clin Pract 11(4):242–246
  9. Mori H, Ohsawa H, Tanaka TH, Taniwaki E, Leisman G, Nishijo K (2004) Effect of massage on blood flow and muscle fatigue following isometric lumbar exercise. Med Sci Monit 10(5):CR173–CR17
  10. Corbin L. Safety and efficacy of massage therapy for patients with cancer. Cancer Control. 2005; 12(3):158-64.
  11. Richardson MA, Sanders T, Palmer JL, Greisinger A, & Singletary SE. Complementary/alternative medicine use in a comprehensive cancer center and the implications for oncology. J Clin Oncol. 2000; 18(13):2505-14.
  12. Demmer C. A survey of complementary therapy services provided by hospices. J Palliat Med. 2004; 7(4): 510-6.
  13. Complementary Healthcare: A guide for patients. (2005). The Prince if Wales’s Foundation for Integrated Health. London, UK.
  14. Ernst E. Massage therapy for cancer palliation and supportive care: a systematic review of randomised clinical trials. Support Care Cancer. 2009 Apr;17(4):333-7. Epub 2009 Jan 13.
  15. Jane SW, Wilkie DJ, Gallucci BB, Beaton RD. Systematic review of massage intervention for adult patients with cancer: a methodological perspective. Cancer Nurs. 2008;31(6):E24-35.
  16. Myers CD, Walton T, Bratsman L, Wilson J, Small B. Massage modalities and symptoms reported by cancer patients: narrative review. Journal Of The Society For Integrative Oncology. 2008; 6(1):19-28
  17. Wilkinson S, Barnes K, Storey L. Massage for symptom relief in patients with cancer: systematic review. J Adv Nurs. 2008; 63(5):430-9.
  18. Hughes D. Ladas E. Rooney D. Kelly K. Massage therapy as a supportive care intervention for children with cancer. Oncology Nursing Forum. 2008; 35(3):431-42.
  19. Lee MS, Lee EN, Ernst E (2011) Massage therapy for breast cancer patients: a systematic review. Annals of Oncology 22(6):1459-1461.
  20. Listing M, Reisshauer A, Krohn M et al. (2009) Massage therapy reduces physical discomfort and improves mood disturbance in women with breast cancer. Psychooncology 18: 1290-1299.
  21. Falkensteiner M, Mantovan F, Muller I, Them C. The use of massage therapy for reducing pain, anxiety, and depression in oncological palliative care patients: a narrative review of the literature. ISRN Nurs 2011:929868.
  22. Ernst E. The safety of massage therapy. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2003 Sep;42(9):1101-6.
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