We report a case of a 39-year-old healthy male presenting with an eruption consisting of evenly spaced, well-circumscribed, round, petechial macules over a discrete region on his back. A detailed history revealed that the man participated in a high-intensity combination workout routine and post-exercise massage. He reported using a regulation-sized dimpled softball in order to massage the muscu...

Preterm birth affects about 10% of infants born in the United States. Massage therapy is being used in some neonatal intensive care units for its potential beneficial effects on preterm infants. This article reviews published randomized controlled trials on the effects of massage in preterm infants. Most studies evaluating the effect of massage in weight gain in premature infants suggest a posi...

OBJECTIVES To assess the effect of massage on weight gain and body fat deposition in preterm infants. STUDY DESIGN Preterm infants (29-32 weeks) were randomized to the massage group (n = 22, 12 girls, 10 boys) or the control group (n = 22, 12 girls, 10 boys). Treatment was masked with massage or control care administered twice-daily by licensed massage therapists (6 d/wk for 4 weeks). Body we...

Pain-related massage, important in traditional Eastern medicine, is increasingly used in the Western world. So the widening acceptance demands continual safety assessment. This review is an evaluation of the frequency and severity of adverse events (AEs) reported mainly for pain-related massage between 2003 and 2013. Relevant all-languages reports in 6 databases were identified and assessed by ...

Objectives: The study objectives were to determine the feasibility and effects of 350 providing therapeutic massage at home for patients with metastatic cancer. Design: This was a 351 randomized controlled trial. Settings/location: Patients were enrolled at Oncology Clinics at a 352 large urban academic medical center; massage therapy was provided in patients' homes. Subjects: 353 Subjects were...

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES To review relevant literature about massage therapy to assess the feasibility of integrating the body-based complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) practice as a supportive care intervention for children with cancer. DATA SOURCES PubMed, online references, published government reports, and the bibliographies of retrieved articles, reviews, and books on massage and mass...

BACKGROUND As the popularity of complementary/alternative medicine (CAM) grows, patients are incorporating more CAM therapies into their conventional cancer care. Massage therapy, a CAM therapy known primarily for its use in relaxation, may also benefit patients with cancer in other ways. Massage can also be associated with risks in the oncology population. Risks can be minimized and benefits m...

PURPOSE Pain is multi-dimensional and may be better addressed through a holistic, biopsychosocial approach. Massage therapy is commonly practiced among patients seeking pain management; however, its efficacy is unclear. This systematic review and meta-analysis is the first to rigorously assess the quality of massage therapy research and evidence for its efficacy in treating pain, function-relat...

BACKGROUND There are some non-invasive and affordable treatments for asthma with fewer side effects, such as reflexology and olive oil foot massage in complementary and alternative medicine. There is a lack of studies regarding the efficacy of olive oil foot massage and reflexology for asthma control. This study was done to investigate the effect of foot reflexology and olive oil foot massage o...