The effect of shiatsu massage on underlying anxiety in burn patients.

BACKGROUND: Burn patients experience high levels of predictable anxiety during dressing changes while anti-anxiety drugs cannot control these anxieties. The nurses can limit the side effects of medications by undertaking complementary therapies. Hand pressure massage was introduced as a technique that can reduce these anxieties. This study aimed to investigate the effect of hand pressure massage using Shiatsu method on underlying anxiety in burn patients.

METHODS: In an available randomized study, 60 burn patients with underlying pain were enrolled. They were randomly allocated in two groups of hand massage and the control. The anxiety of underlying burn pain before and after the massage was evaluated using Burn Specific Pain Anxiety Scale (BSPAS).

RESULTS: The difference for anxiety scores in the hand Shiatsu massage group before and after massage were statistically significant, but in the control group was not significant.

CONCLUSION: Based on our findings, 20 minutes of hand Shiatsu massage in conjunction with analgesic medications can be beneficial to control the anxiety of burn patients.