Effects of Touch Massage in the Sub-acute Phase After Stroke (MEST)

Umeå University

Status: Terminated

Conditions: Stroke

Treatments: Other: non-TENS; Procedure: Touch massage

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT01883947

2012-494-32M

Details and patient eligibility

About

The aim is to study effects of touch massage in the sub-acute phase after stroke in two main areas; general health and independence.The hypothesis are that; touch massage in the sub-acute phase after stroke decreases anxiety and pain, increases health related-quality of life, decrease physiological stress responses, increase sensorimotor function, decrease disability, and increase activity in sensorimotor areas and decrease redundant brain activity in motor-related areas.

Full description

Despite high quality stroke care in Sweden, decreased sensorimotor function, anxiety and pain remains one year after stroke and lead to impaired health and dependence as well as high health care costs. It is therefore urgent to find new rehabilitation strategies. There is some knowledge about effects of touch massage among healthy and patients with ill-health conditions but no study have evaluated touch massage in the sub-acute phase of stroke. Therefore the aim in this project is to study effects of t touch massage in the sub-acute phase after stroke in two main areas; general health and independence.

Enrollment: 50 patients

Sex: All

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

• stroke defined according to Trial of ORG 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment (TOAST) and The Oxford Community Stroke Project Classification (OSPC),
• impaired finger tapping on the affected side of the body,
• the ability to flex the wrist 20° from substrate on affected side of the body

Exclusion Criteria:individuals with

• cancerous tumors,
• infections with fever,
• neurologic or psychiatric disease,
• alcohol or drug addiction,
• conditions that impede communication.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Supportive Care

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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50 participants in 2 patient groups

Touch massage

Experimental group

Description:

Intervention group will receive touch massage on hands and feet and the intervention will start one week after the onset of stroke and last for 30 minutes each time, five days a week for two weeks

Treatment:

Procedure: Touch massage

non-TENS

Sham Comparator group

Description:

The sham treatment will start one week after the onset of stroke and last for 30 minutes each time, five days a week for two weeks

Treatment:

Other: non-TENS