Heart surgeries in the United States are growing each year. The latest figures issued by iData Research at the end of 2023 indicate that the number of cardiac surgeries exceeds 900,000 each year with projections for the number to reach 1.3 million by 2029. The continuing climb is attributed to the growth of many rapidly growing procedures. Also, the need for cardiac surgeries is rising with the increase in the average age of the U.S. population and the escalating incident of cardiovascular diseases worldwide.[1]
Massage therapy after surgery
After surgery, patients can experience pain, swelling and inflammation. Post-operative pain can continue for some time. Research finds that persistent or chronic surgical pain lasting two to three months is responsible for nearly 1 in 4 cases of chronic pain.[2] And then there are the emotional repercussions of surgery, including stress and anxiety, which can affect mood and sleep.
There is a growing body of research supporting the benefits of massage to ease the path to healing of postsurgical patients. A major review of 16 studies published September 2016 in the journal Pain Medicine indicated massage therapy can effectively reduce the severity of pain and anxiety in those who have undergone surgery. (The Massage Therapy Foundation commissioned the study with support from the American Massage Therapy Association.) The conclusion was patients should consider massage as a therapeutic option to manage these issues stemming from their surgery. [3]
Research findings on massage for heart surgery
With indications that massage therapy can play a role in patient recovery after surgery and with expectations that heart surgeries will continue to grow, the following studies on massage therapy aiding heart surgery recovery are noteworthy:
Mayo Clinic Study:
A study conducted by Mayo Clinic in 2005 found that massage therapy decreased pain levels of heart surgery recovery patients. The pilot study involved 58 patients who underwent heart surgery. Of the 30 who received massage, the mean pain scores were less than 1 on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the most painful. Prior to massage therapy, these patients rated their pain at an average of 3 on the 10-point scale. Among those in the control group of 28, the pain levels remained the same over the same period.[4]
Massage Therapy for Cardiac Surgery Patients – A Randomized Trial
The study on massage for heart surgery involved 152 elective cardiac surgery patients randomized to receive massage or an equal amount of rest time at 2 points - day 3 or 4 or day 5 or 6 - after surgery. Study measured pain, anxiety, relaxation, muscular tension and satisfaction. The study found that massage therapy produced a significantly greater reduction in pain, anxiety and muscular tension and increases in relaxation and satisfaction compared to the rest time.
Specifically, pain and anxiety were significantly reduced after massage on day 3 or 4 and on day 5 or 6. No such changes occurred in the control group at either of the two session times. The data also revealed a significant decrease in anxiety and muscular tension after receiving massage therapy on day 3 or 4 and again on day 5 or 6. Relaxation significantly improved on day 3 or 4 for both groups, but only massage was effective on day 5 or 6. [5]
Effectiveness of massage therapy on the mood of patients after open-heart surgery
The aim of the study conducted in 2010-11 was to determine the effectiveness of massage therapy on the mood of patients after open-heart surgery. The study included 72 patients who had coronary artery bypass surgery. Patients were randomly assigned to two case and control groups. The patients of the case group received Swedish massage for 20 minutes in 4 sessions in 4 consecutive days, 3 to 6 days after the open-heart surgery. The patients in the control group received only routine care. Patients completed a mood questionnaire the day before the start of the study and intervention and again after the last day of the intervention. The study concluded that the use of massage therapy can improve patients’ mood after the surgery. [6]
Studies such as these indicate a case for the use of massage therapy to lower pain and improve the emotional impact of patients during heart surgery recovery.
[1] “How Many Cardiac Surgeries Are Performed Each Year? – New Study by iData Research,” iData Research, December 09, 2023. https://idataresearch.com/over-900000-cardiac-surgeries-performed-every-year-in-the-united-states/
[2] Salamon, Maureen, “Helping Patients After Surgery,” AMTA, April 24, 2018. https://www.amtamassage.org/publications/massage-therapy-journal/helping-patients-after-surgery/
[3] Salamon, Maureen, “Helping Patients After Surgery
[4] “Complementary Therapies Help Patients Recover After Heart Surgery,” Science Daily, November 5, 2007, Mayo Clinic 2007 Study https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071031134336.htm
[5] Braun LA, Stanguts C, Casanelia L, Spitzer O, Paul E, Vardaxis NJ, Rosenfeldt F. Massage therapy for cardiac surgery patients--a randomized trial. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2012 Dec;144(6):1453-9, 1459.e1. doi: 10.1016/j.jtcvs.2012.04.027. Epub 2012 Sep 7. PMID: 22964355. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22964355/
[6] Babaee S, Shafiei Z, Sadeghi MM, Nik AY, Valiani M. Effectiveness of massage therapy on the mood of patients after open-heart surgery. Iran J Nurs Midwifery Res. 2012 Feb;17(2 Suppl 1):S120-4. PMID: 23833593; PMCID: PMC3696961. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3696961/