Many Benefits, Little Risk: The Use of Massage in Nursing Practice

Since ancient times, massage therapy has been used to promote healing by people of all backgrounds and cultures. Massage therapy was once taught as a core nursing skill, but it gradually lost ground in the United States during the second half of the 20th century with the increased use of technology...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The American journal of nursing 2016-01, Vol.116 (1), p.34-39
Main Authors: Westman, Kathryn F., Blaisdell, Cathy
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
20th century
Adult
CE Continuing Education
Female
Healing
History of Nursing
History, 19th Century
History, 20th Century
History, 21st Century
Humans
Male
Massage
Massage - history
Massage - nursing
Massage - psychology
Middle Aged
Nurse-Patient Relations
Nursing
Nursing care
Pain Management - history
Pain Management - methods
Pain Management - nursing
Precautions
Professional practices
Stress, Psychological - etiology
Stress, Psychological - nursing
Stress, Psychological - physiopathology
Technology
Touch - physiology
United States
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Summary:Since ancient times, massage therapy has been used to promote healing by people of all backgrounds and cultures. Massage therapy was once taught as a core nursing skill, but it gradually lost ground in the United States during the second half of the 20th century with the increased use of technology and documentation in nursing. In recent years, however, there has been a resurgence in the use of massage therapy. Research has provided insight into the mechanisms by which massage supports the healing process, and this has sparked support for including massage therapy in routine hospital care. In this article, the authors touch on the history of massage in nursing care and discuss its emotional and physiologic benefits for both patient and nurse. They describe specific massage techniques and discuss precautions to consider before using massage with certain patients.
ISSN:0002-936X
1538-7488
DOI:10.1097/01.NAJ.0000476164.97929.f2