فهرست نشریات علمی دسترسی آزاد ایران

BACKGROUND: Prehypertension is one of the cardiovascular disease predicators. Management ofprehypertension is an appropriate objective for clinicians in a wide range of medical centers. Massagetherapy is primarily nonpharmacological treatment that is used to control blood pressure (BP). Thisstudy intends to investigate the long‑term effect of massage therapy on BP in prehypertensive women.METHODS: This was a single‑blind clinical trial study conducted on 50 prehypertensive womenwho referred to Sedigheh Tahereh Cardiovascular Center, during 6 months in 2009. Participantswere selected by simple random sampling and were divided into control and intervention groups.The test group (25 patients) received massage for 10–15 min, three times a week for 10 sessions,and the control group (25 patients) was relaxed in the same environment but with no massage.Their BP was measured before and after each session and 72 h and 2 weeks after finishing themassage therapy. Analyzing the data was done using descriptive and inferential statistical methods(Chi‑square, Mann–Whitney, paired t‑test, and Student’s t‑test) through SPSS software version 18and a significant level was considered as P < 0.05.RESULTS: The results indicated that the mean systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) in themassage group were significantly lower in comparison with the control group (P < 0.001). Evaluationof durability of the massage effects on BP also indicated that 72 h after finishing the study, still therewas a significant difference between the test and control groups in SBP and DBP (P < 0.001), but after2 weeks, there was not a significant difference in SBP and DBP (P > 0.05) between the two groups.CONCLUSIONS: Although massage therapy seems to be a safe, effective, applicable, and cost‑effectiveintervention to control BP of prehypertensive women, its effects do not persist for a long time.