High Blood Pressure
High Blood Pressure
Clinical Study: : High blood pressure and associated symptoms were reduced through massage therapy.
Research:
High blood pressure is often associated with increased anxiety, stress, elevated stress hormones, hostility, depression, and elevated catecholamine levels. This study investigated massage therapy and progressive muscle relaxation as potential treatment options.
- Adults diagnosed with high blood pressure were given either:
- 10 massage sessions, 30 minutes each, over five weeks
- or instructions for progressive muscle relaxation (control group).
- The results showed:
- Seated diastolic blood pressure decreased after both the first and the last massage sessions.
- Supine diastolic blood pressure decreased steadily from the first to the last day of the study.
Results:
While both groups reported reduced anxiety, only the massage therapy group showed:
- Significantly fewer cases of depression
- Less Hostility
- A decrease in the stress hormone cortisol
Read the full study
Hernandez-Reif, M., Field, T., Krasnegor, J., & Theakston, H. (2000). High blood pressure and associated symptoms were reduced by massage therapy. Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, 4, 31–38.
