Effect of Massage Therapy in Cortisol Level (MTCL)

University of Chile

Status: Completed

Conditions: Asymptomatic State

Treatments: Other: Massage Therapy; Other: Rest in supine

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02440412

Kine015

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study evaluates the effect of a single session of Massage Therapy in salivary cortisol level. All participants were assessed on three conditions: Massage session, rest in supine position listening music, and under normal working conditions. The hypothesis of the investigators is that the effect of the massage action in reduction of cortisol is superior to only rest.

Full description

Several studies have postulated that one of the physiological markers of the effect of massage therapy is to reduce the level of cortisol, the "stress hormone". However it is not clear whether the effect is due to the manual action on the skin, or only by the relaxation induced rest. Therefore the variation of salivary cortisol in both conditions, and also in everyday working conditions was compared. Cortisol has a circadian cycle, with a maximum value upon awakening, which decreases during the morning; therefore a sample of saliva (in Salivette tube) it was collected in the three experimental conditions at the same hour time in the morning: 8:45(after intervention), and 9:30 and 10.30 (both, before).

Enrollment: 15 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 60 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Office/administrative workers of Faculty of Medicine, University of Chile.

Exclusion criteria

• Musculoskeletal disease or injury in spine.
• Body Mass Index over 35.
• Smoking (over three cigars at day)
• Depression.
• Pregnancy
• Corticosteroid treatment.
• Skin wound or disease.
• Intolerance to the prone position.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Basic Science

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Crossover Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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15 participants in 3 patient groups, including a placebo group

Massage Therapy

Experimental group

Description:

A 45 minutes massage therapy (manual) standardized session, based in Swedish techniques.

Treatment:

Other: Massage Therapy

Rest condition

Placebo Comparator group

Description:

45 minutes of rest in supine position, listening music with headphones, and warm condition.

Treatment:

Other: Rest in supine

Control

No Intervention group

Description:

Normal working condition, as a office workers (secretaries and managements employees)