53 Clinical Trials for Various Conditions
The purpose of this research is to look at the effect of massage therapy on the pain, anxiety, and quality of life that pediatric patients have after undergoing spinal fusion surgery. This is a single-site, prospective, randomized, interventional study design that will involve post-thoracic and post-lumbar spinal fusion surgeries of pediatric patients from 7 to 19 years of age that present to Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas. These patients will be identified prior to their scheduled spinal fusion surgery and recruited to enroll in the study. The planned spinal fusion surgeries are not considered part of this research project, but rather considered standard of care and would occur whether the patient is enrolled in this project or not. Enrolled participants will be followed during their inpatient stay and through their subsequent follow-up visits at weeks 2, 6, and 12. Participants will be randomly assigned to either a massage therapy group or a group that receives the standard (normal) care for recovery after surgery. The final study involvement will occur at week 16 (post-hospital discharge) where a study team member will administer a quality of life (PedsQL) questionnaire via phone or mail with the subject. Data will be collected after study related procedures are completed.
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn about the effects of Neonatal Touch and Massage Therapy on premature babies. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Do babies who receive Neonatal Touch and Massage Therapy get discharged sooner from the NICU * Does Neonatal Touch and Massage Therapy have a beneficial effect on weight gain, pain and stress responses, and neurodevelopmental outcomes. Participants assigned to the treatment group will receive Neonatal Touch and Massage Therapy while admitted to the NICU. Researchers will compare their outcomes to a control group, receiving standard NICU care, to see if there are any differences in the length of hospital stay, weight gain, pain scores, neurodevelopmental outcomes, and incidence of other common conditions associated with prematurity.
Therapeutic massage has been thought to reduce anxiety and increase relaxation in human patients.This study is meant to determine the immediate effects of therapeutic massage on pain tolerance and threshold.
This pilot study evaluates the role of massage therapy to improve self-efficacy in patients with advanced heart failure who have recently received a left-ventricular assist device. In addition to usual care, half of the volunteer patients will receive a massage at regular clinic visits and half will not receive any massage.
Feasibility study to examine the preventative ability of massage therapy on paclitaxel induced peripheral neuropathy in breast cancer
This is a cohort study where subjects will receive either massage therapy or music therapy interventions to evaluate their impact on hospice patients.
This is a pilot study to evaluate the impact of massage therapy in hospice patients.
This project studies the feasibility of (1) implementing massage therapy and music therapy onto a busy medical inpatient unit at Boston Medical Center, and (2) evaluating massage therapy and music therapy's impact on patient satisfaction, patient outcomes, and cost. The investigators will conduct a randomized controlled trial comparing massage therapy, music therapy, and usual care to collect preliminary data on critical outcomes for patients (satisfaction, symptom control) and for the hospital (pain medication use and length of stay, both critical drivers of cost). The investigators anticipate using these preliminary data to apply for a future larger and longer adequately powered randomized controlled trial to definitively answer the following research questions: does implementation of an inpatient massage therapy and/or music therapy service (a) improve patient satisfaction; (b) reduce symptoms such as pain; and (c) lower health care costs through less pain medication and reduced length of stay?
This clinical trial studies massage therapy in reducing chemotherapy-induced nerve problems (peripheral neuropathy) that may cause pain, numbness, tingling, swelling, or muscle weakness in different parts of the body in patients with gastrointestinal or breast malignancies. Massage therapy may help reduce chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy symptoms and improve quality of life.
With approximately 12 million cancer survivors today in the United States alone, increased attention is being given to quality of life after cancer treatment. Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is one of the most prevalent and debilitating symptoms experienced by people with cancer. It can persist for months or years after cancer therapy is completed and has a negative impact on all areas of function. Meaningful evidence-based treatment options for CRF are extremely limited and finding safe, inexpensive, and effective interventions for managing this distressing symptom are urgently needed. Basic research has shown that activation of the immune system can cause potent changes in behavior including reduced activity, fatigue, and decreased social behavior. Furthermore, research over the last decade has found a relationship between levels of CRF with increased inflammation. Thus, study of therapies that may decrease immune system activation in the setting of CRF represents a possible target for intervention. Massage therapy is one of the fastest growing alternative therapies and has a high rate of acceptance for symptom management among cancer patients. Massage has been shown in smaller studies with cancer patients to modulate the immune system. Moreover, massage has been demonstrated to significantly decrease markers of immune system activation in normal subjects. There are no published randomized controlled trials examining either the role of massage as an intervention primarily for CRF or investigating whether massage related decreases in immune system activation are responsible for improvement in CRF. This proposal investigates the effects of massage therapy on CRF among breast cancer survivors. The investigators' primary hypothesis is that Swedish Massage Therapy (SMT) will decrease CRF compared to a light touch condition and wait list control. The investigators' secondary hypothesis is that SMT will decrease CRF by reducing immune system activation. The investigators' main exploratory hypothesis is that a decrease in CRF will increase quality of life among cancer survivors.
In this study we propose to explore the efficacy of massage therapy combined with meditation in women recovering from tissue reconstruction after mastectomy for breast cancer. Patients will be randomized into 2 groups. The first group will consist of massage therapy on 3 consecutive days starting on the 1st day after surgery. The second group will consist of massage therapy combined with meditation for 3 consecutive days starting on the 1st day after surgery. The effect of massage and massage combined with meditation on stress, anxiety, relaxation, insomnia, alertness, fatigue, tension/muscular discomfort, pain, mood and energy level will be evaluated by using three different surveys.
The purpose of this study is to describe the effects of massage therapy on quality of life (QOL) in youth and young adults (ages 8 to 21 years) with cystic fibrosis (CF).
Premature infants sometimes require sedation to ensure minimal movement during diagnostic procedures such as MRIs. However, sedatives may produce adverse effects. The purpose of this two-day study is to determine whether massage therapy will promote sleep in preterm infants and also help them to stay asleep, providing a safer way to sedate infants for procedures. A small instrument called a sleep watch or actigraph will be placed around the infant's ankle to measure muscle activity and provide an indication of sleep. Infants will receive a 10- minute massage on one morning of the study and no massage on the alternate morning. Recordings from the actigraph will show whether there is difference in sleep pattern with and without massage. Infants will be monitored for any heart rate and oxygen saturation changes on both mornings of the study.
There is an impressive and growing body of data suggesting that massage therapy is effective in decreasing some symptoms of pathological conditions as well as facilitating growth, reducing pain, increasing alertness, diminishing symptoms of depression and anxiety, and enhancing immune function. Preliminary studies suggest that massage therapy decreases symptoms of anxiety and depression, and lowers salivary cortisol levels in a wide array of childhood and adult neuropsychiatric disorders including post-traumatic stress disorder, attention-deficit-disorder hyperactivity, depression, bulimia and anorexia-nervosa. Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is characterized by the presence of a constellation of signs and symptoms for at least 6 months in duration, with some type of functional disability or decrease in quality of life. The signs and symptoms of GAD include a myriad of somatic symptoms including muscle tension, headaches, backaches, fatigue, restlessness, insomnia, as well as psychological feelings of worry, anxiety, and feeling overwhelmed. Both pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy are effective in decreasing the signs and symptoms of GAD. Unfortunately, the vast majority of patients with GAD never receive adequate pharmacotherapy or psychotherapy. Therefore, the development of a complementary and alternative therapy that has demonstrated efficacy for GAD might be well received by patients. This study's goals are to investigate the efficacy of Swedish massage therapy vs. light touch therapy and better understand the biological effects of massage in patients with anxiety. Qualified participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups in which they will receive Swedish massage therapy twice per week for 12 weeks or Light Touch therapy twice per week for 6 weeks followed by Swedish massage therapy twice per week for the next 6 weeks. The total length of the study is 13 weeks, which includes a screening visit that takes about 3 hours and two therapy visits per week for 12 weeks that last about 1 hour each. Blood and urine will be collected at three of the visits. Compensation is up to $400 for completing the entire study.
This clinical trial studies massage therapy given by caregiver in treating quality of life of young patients undergoing treatment for cancer. Massage therapy given by a caregiver may improve the quality of life of young patients undergoing treatment for cancer
The purpose of this study is to assess the feasibility and efficacy of massage therapy for reducing pre-operative anxiety and post-operative pain among predominantly low income minority cancer patients undergoing surgical placement of a Port-a-Catheter.
The purpose of this study is * to assess the feasibility and acceptability of massage therapyto examine the effects of massage therapy * to explore whether psychological outcomes are associated with changes in patient reported QoL.
The purpose of this study is to see if daily massage therapy will help premature infants respond to stress better, as well as improve their growth and neurobehavioral development.
The purpose of this study was to determine whether massage with or without physical exercise impacted weight gain or length of hospital stay for premature infants.
The study is a randomized, controlled clinical trial that investigates the efficacy ogf massage therapy for 66 patients with pain secondary to osteoarthritis of the knee. It is a wait-list design where subjects and randomly assigned to either Group A or Group B. Group A receives two months of massage while Group B is wait-listed, receives two months of usual care. At the conclusion of the wait period, Group B receives two months of massage. In all cases, subjects continue to receive conventional medical care for their OA symptoms. Outcome measures include a WOMAC questionnaire, a visual analog pain scale, time to walk fifty feet and range of motion of the knee (using a goniometer). A research assistant, competent in appropriate subject assessment obtains the outcome measures. Change in medication use is tracked by the use of patient diaries. Assessments of subjects, occurs at baseline, and week 8 and 16 in both the intervention and control groups.
This research study is being conducted to compare the effectiveness of two types of complimentary medicine treatments to see if they will reduce the fatigue experienced by breast cancer patients receiving radiation therapy. The treatments being studied are Polarity Therapy and Massage Therapy. The primary study hypothesis is that Polarity Therapy will be efficacious in relieving fatigue in breast cancer patients receiving radiation treatments. The secondary hypothesis is that Polarity Therapy will be efficacious in improving health-related quality of life in breast cancer patients receiving radiation treatments.
RATIONALE: Massage therapy may help relieve symptoms associated with cancer. It is not yet known which type of massage therapy is more effective in treating the symptoms of patients with cancer. PURPOSE: This randomized clinical trial is studying different types of massage therapy to compare how well they work in treating the symptoms of patients with locally advanced or metastatic cancer.
RATIONALE: Massage therapy may help lessen pain caused by cancer. PURPOSE: This randomized phase II trial is studying how well massage therapy works in treating patients with cancer pain.
The purpose of this study is to examine the short-term and long-term efficacy of massage therapy alone compared to massage therapy plus compression bandaging in the treatment of breast cancer treatment-related swelling of the arms and legs.
The purpose of this study is to develop methods for studying the effect of bodywork therapy on symptoms of fatigue in patients undergoing cancer chemotherapy.
The specific aims of this study are: 1) to replicate the data that following ten days of massage therapy, preterm infants show greater daily weight gain and are discharged from the hospital earlier than the controls, thus demonstrating the cost-effectiveness of the intervention; 2) to test a model on two potential underlying mechanisms for weight gain including a) enhanced vagal activity leading to greater gastric motility, higher levels of insulin, IGF-1, and oxytocin and lower cortisol levels in the massage versus the control infants at the end of the study; and/or b) increased physical activity and its associated increase in heart rate oxygen consumption and temperature leading to greater weight gain. These pathways (vagal activity and physical activity) will be tested by path analyses. Determining underlying mechanisms for the massage therapy/weight gain relationship is a critical process required by the neonatology community for massage therapy to be adopted as a standard neonatal intensive care unit.
The primary aims of this study are to determine the effect of percussive massage (30 min/session, 2 sessions/day, daily) during 10 days of unilateral limb immobilization on preserving muscle, vascular, and mitochondrial function. The following hypotheses will be tested: Hypothesis 1: Percussive massage will attenuate the loss of size, strength and endurance over the immobilization period compared to the control group, as measured by MRI, maximal isometric and isokinetic force production and muscle endurance test using Biodex dynamometry. Hypothesis 2: Percussive massage will attenuate the loss of vascular function and blood flow compared to the control group as measured by passive leg movement and femoral artery blood flow. Hypothesis 3: Percussive massage will attenuate the loss of skeletal muscle mitochondrial function and decrease H2O2 production during immobilization compared to the control group, as measured by high-resolution respirometry.
The objective of the proposed study is to assess how myofascial massage alters stiffness and microvascular perfusion of shoulder muscles and how these changes are influenced by patient-therapist interactions. The primary hypothesis is that stiffness of shoulder muscles will be decreased, and microvascular perfusion will be increased after a 30-minute myofascial massage, and that the addition of patient-therapist communication levels will result in greater changes with certain levels.
This trial will examine the contribution of massage therapy and mindfulness to tobacco-smoking women in the third trimester of pregnancy.
Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is a prevalent and debilitating symptom experienced by cancer survivors. CRF can persist for months or years after cancer therapy is completed and has a negative impact on all areas of mental and physical function. Treatment options for CRF are extremely limited and finding safe, inexpensive, and effective interventions for managing this distressing symptom are urgently needed. Massage therapy is one of the fastest growing complementary therapies. A recently completed study in breast cancer survivors with CRF found that Swedish Massage Therapy (SMT) caused a significant reduction in fatigue and improvement in quality of life. This study investigates the effects of massage therapy on CRF among prostate cancer survivors. The study will evaluate whether SMT improves quality of life, depression, and anxiety. Second, this study will evaluate if SMT reduces CRF by decreasing the pro-inflammatory cytokine Interleukin-6 (IL-6). Lastly, to establish measures of reduced fatigue beyond self report at the treatment visits, the researchers will implement continuous, real-time monitoring of physiologic and psychological signs and symptoms, throughout the treatment period. This study will improve care for CRF and other hard-to-manage symptoms of cancer treatment and provide preliminary evidence of immune modulation as a potential mechanism of action. This study is a randomized clinical trial to test the efficacy of Swedish massage therapy (SMT) versus an active control condition (light touch, LT) on cancer related fatigue in men with prostatic cancer, at least 2 months after the end of their radiation therapy. The primary outcome is the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI). Secondary outcomes are the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement System (PROMIS) Fatigue Scale, plasma concentrations of cytokine IL-6, self-reported quality of life, depression, and anxiety, wearable measures of activity and sleep, and Automated Monitoring of Symptom Severity (AMoSS) ratings.