The Effect of Massage on Post Thoracic Surgery Adults

Critical care practice guidelines currently shows a lack of clear evidence on the effectiveness of massage for acute post-operative pain control. Thus, researchers from McGill University in Canada assessed the effect of massage on acute pain in critically and acutely ill adults post-thoracic surgery through a literature review. Eligible studies selected were randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating the effect of massage compared to attention control/sham massage or standard care alone on acute pain intensity post-thoracic surgery.

Twelve RCTs were selected in this study. Of these, nine evaluated massage in addition to standard analgesia, including 2 that compared massage to attention control/sham massage in the intensive care unit (ICU), 6 that compared massage to standard analgesia alone early post-ICU discharge, and 1 that compared massage to both attention control and standard care in the ICU. Patients receiving massage with analgesia reported less pain (0-10 scale) compared to attention control/sham massage (3 RCTs; N = 462; mean difference -0.80) and standard care (7 RCTs; N = 1087; mean difference -0.85).

The authors concluded that, massage, in addition to pharmacological analgesia, reduces acute post-cardiac surgery pain intensity.