Cambron, J.A., Dexheimer, Jennifer, & Coe, Patricia. (2006). Changes in Blood Pressure After Various Forms of Therapeutic Massage: A Preliminary Study. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. 12(1); 65-70.
The article differentiated the possible massages that contribute to changes in blood pressure. The authors compared 150 subjects both with normal blood pressure and high blood pressure and tested each individual with a different type of massage. The massage type varied from: Swedish massage, trigger point massage, deep tissue, myofascial release, sports massage, and craniosacral massage. The study was done using an automated cuff and tests were assessed before and after the massage to receive the results. The massage was done for duration of one hour to an hour and a half. The main focus was to determine whether the type of massage, duration, body area, amount of pressure, and demographics affected the blood pressure in each individual. The tests were assessed based on systolic and diastolic blood pressures. As a result, the massages showed that there was no difference in the duration of the massage, the body area massaged, amount of pressure, and demographics. There were changes however in the type of massage and the age of the subject as well as the height were all a factor in this study. The Swedish massage proved to decrease blood pressure. The trigger point and sports massage both increased the subject’s blood pressure. The study was just a preliminary study and there will be different studies to follow that use a manual blood pressure cuff rather than the automated cuff.
The strengths of the article is proven through the different types of massages performed, number of subjects compared to previous studies, and consistent use of the blood pressure cuff. With many different types of massages it gives a broader spectrum and therefore may help with more accurate results. The weaknesses of the article are: the inexperience of...