How massages can influence blood pressure in hypertension patients-a meta-analysis

How massages can influence blood pressure in hypertension patients-a meta-analysis

Hypertension (hypertension) is a widespread chronic illness that affects around 1.13 billion people worldwide. The treatment of high blood pressure usually includes both drug and non-drug approaches. One of the non-drug therapies is the massage, a form of complementary and alternative medicine that aims to relieve physical complaints and promote general well-being.

In a current meta-analysis, it was examined how effective massage is as a treatment for reducing blood pressure in hypertension patients. In a meta-analysis, data from various studies are summarized and analyzed in order to obtain a clearer picture of the research results. In this specific analysis, six studies with a total of 290 participants were evaluated. The results showed a minimal reduction in the systolic (the upper value) and the diastolic (the lower value) blood pressure in patients who received massage therapies.

Although the results suggest a slight improvement, the difference in blood pressure is very low. The researchers therefore recommend further randomized control studies in order to better assess the effectiveness of massages as a means of reducing blood pressure. They also point out that there are currently only limited research results and that larger studies with longer follow -up times are necessary in order to be able to draw definitive conclusions.

If future research turns out to be clearly positive, this could cause doctors to recommend massage as a supplementary treatment to existing therapies for high blood pressure patients. Above all, since massage therapies are usually associated with a few or no side effects, they could be an attractive option for people who are looking for opportunities to naturally reduce their blood pressure.

Basic terms and concepts:

• hypertension (HTN): medical term for high blood pressure.
• meta-analysis: Statistical procedure, in which results from several studies are summarized and analyzed to determine overarching trends or effects.
• randomized control study: study type, in which participants randomly assign one of at least two groups; One group receives the intervention to be examined, while the other group receives a placebo intervention or standard treatment.
• systematic review: A comprehensive summary of the existing evidence to a certain research topic that follows strict methodological standards.
• systolic blood pressure: The higher value in a blood pressure measurement that captures the pressure in the arteries when the heart beats.
• diastolic blood pressure: The lower value in a blood pressure measurement that measures the pressure in the arteries when the heart rests between the blows.

minimal reduction in blood pressure by massage in hypertension patients

The present meta analysis focused on the evaluation of the effects of massage therapy on blood pressure in patients with arterial hypertension (HTN), a global health challenge affected by an estimated 1.13 billion people. The successful treatment of hypertension includes both pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions. In this research context, the role of massage therapy, a widespread complementary and alternative medical treatment, which relieves physical complaints and promotes general well -being, was examined in detail.

methodology and database for the analysis formed electronic databases such as Pubmed, Prospero, Scopus, Clinicaltrials.gov, Embase and the Cochrane Library, which were searched until March 2021. Experimental studies that corresponded to the pico criteria (population, intervention, comparison, outcome) were included with the primary result of blood pressure. The meta-analysis used a random effects model to create a summary of the treatment effects, expressed as a standardized medium difference (SMD) with a 95% confidence interval (CI).

The conclusions indicate that massage therapy can cause minimal reduction in blood pressure in patients with hypertension. Despite the results found, the data situation is limited and still understood. For a stronger recommendation of massage as an effective intervention for blood pressure reduction, further randomized control studies are required. In addition, more extensive prospective studies with long follow-up times are necessary to verify the results from this meta-analysis.

For more detailed information and further insight into the specific studies that have been included in this meta analysis, we refer to the source https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38432790 .