A randomized clinical trial of the treatment effects of massage compared to relaxation tape recordings on diffuse long-term XXXX .

@entity4512 @entity1 @entity102 @entity158 @entity85 @entity925
BACKGROUND: Long-term @entity4512 is a common problem in primary health care settings that is difficult to treat. Two common treatments are mental relaxation and massage. Scientific studies show contradictory results. Furthermore, many studies lack long-term follow-up even though it is a @entity102 . The purpose of this randomized clinical trial was to assess possible effects of massage as compared to listening to relaxation tapes in conditions of 'diffuse' and long-term @entity4512 . METHODS: 129 @entity1 from primary health care suffering from long-term @entity4512 were randomized to either a massage or mental relaxation group, and assessed before, during and after treatment. RESULTS: During treatment there was a significant improvement in the three main outcome measures: self-rated health, mental energy, and @entity925 only in the massage group as compared to the relaxation group. However, at the 3-month post-treatment follow-up, there was a significant worsening in the outcome measures (time x group effect p < 0.05) back to initial rating levels in the massage group as compared to no changes in the relaxation group. CONCLUSION: Massage, but not mental relaxation, is beneficial in attenuating @entity85 . Beneficial effects were registered only during treatment. This lack of long-term benefits could be due to the short treatment period or treatments such as these do not address the underlying causes of @entity158 . Future studies of long-term @entity158 should include longer treatment periods and post-treatment follow-up. It might also be worthwhile assessing the long-term benefits from booster treatment after the initial intense treatment period.
