Effect of Whole Body Massage by Patient's Companion on the Level of Blood Cortisol in Coronary Patients

BACKGROUND: Inconsistent results have been reported on the effect of massage therapy on the blood cortisol levels. Also, no study is available about the effect of massage done by patient's companions on the level of blood cortisol in patients hospitalized at CCU. OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of whole body massage performed by patient's companion on the level of blood cortisol among the patients admitted in CCU. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A randomized controlled trial was conducted on 60 patients admitted to a CCU ward. Patients were randomly placed into two groups of massage performed by patient's companion and the control group. In the intervention group, whole body massage was administered. The control group did not receive massage. Data analysis was performed using the SPSS 11.5 software. Independent sample and Paired samples t-test, Chi Square and Fisher's Exact tests were used to analyze the data. RESULTS: The mean age for the patients was 58.90 ± 15.63 years. None of them had the history of massage therapy. In the group massaged by the patients' companions, the mean of blood cortisol was 323.6 ± 162.6 nanomoles which decreased to 268.4 ± 141.1 after the intervention (P < 0.102). The mean of blood cortisol in the control group did not change significantly. CONCLUSIONS: Massage therapy lowered the level of cortisol in the group massaged by the patients' companions. It can be recommended that massage therapy be used in patients admitted in CCU.