Use Of Massage Therapy For Reducing Postoperative Pain During Post Surgical Patients

From the earliest of times, massage, which is the manipulation of body tissues for a therapeutic purpose, has been used by stroking or rubbing parts of our body that are experiencing pain.

According to surveys, up to 80% of patients reported moderate to severe post-surgical pain, which can sometimes be left undertreated (Sinatra et al., 2005). Postoperative pain is generally managed with opioids, which carry numerous side effects. Side effects can be bothersome and possibly cause a delay in the postoperative healing process (Beard, Leslie, & Nemeth, 2011). IV acetaminophen can possibly decrease opioid consumption, minimize side effects, increase patient satisfaction, and decrease costs (Wininger et al., 2010). The purpose of this paper is to dive further into the research to present data on the effectiveness of IV acetaminophen in decreasing opioid usage and whether it produces an additive effect causing more effective pain management in the postop patient.

Massage is a very common form of therapy for all sorts of things, from stress to chronic pain. There have been numerous studies that demonstrate the effectiveness of massage in helping to manage patients’ pain while keeping them off medication. The benefit of this type of treatment is pain relief through manipulation of the body. The mechanism of action is, once again, unknown, but it is thought to be related to stimulation of muscles and the blood flow being increased. There are

Pain is the most commonly reported reason for coming to the hospital in America. It’s causes have a massive variance, and in many chronic cases the root source of pain can not be articulated at all. When a patient reports pain, the role of the nurse, and the whole healthcare staff, is to aim to reduce that pain. In many cases pain reduction can be attained through nonpharmacologic, complementary and alternative methods (CAM). Using CAM to reduce pain is an ideal scenario for both the patient and the healthcare staff as these alternative methods have fewer negative consequential effects.

The relationship discovered in the articles written by Denneson, et., al (2011) and Fletcher, et., al (2016) discuss how the Department of Veterans Affair is studying the significance of using complementary alternative medicine to effectively control chronic noncancerous pain versus the continuous use of opioids. Massage therapy was the most preferred and effective method for management of pain. In the article written by Fletcher, et., al (2016), about 60 percent of the outpatient was taking opioids for management of chronic pain.

Chronic, acute, somatic and oncologic are all types pain - each with their own symptoms, reliefs, and evaluations. As pain has been explored, we have learned more about it; however, it remains an anomaly. In the postoperative setting, nurses are the first line of pain management. Their assessments of the patient’s pain, including questions and scaling is imperative when dosing medications and evaluating the patient. Studies continue to determine that healthcare providers undertreat and mismanage pain control and assessment. According, to the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians, “80% to 90% of physicians have had no formal training in prescribing controlled substances, and only five out of one hundred thirty-three medical schools in the U.S. have required courses on pain management” (Glowacki, p. 37). The American Nurse Credentialing Center reported that “as of 2013, only one thousand six hundred seventy two registered nurses in the U.S. were certified in pain management” (Glowacki, p. 37). According to the CDC, about 50% of postoperative patients report unrelieved pain (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2013). Effective postoperative pain control is necessary for successful care and treatment. Inadequate relief of postoperative pain can contribute to postoperative complications such as atelectasis, deep vein thrombosis, and delayed wound healing (Francis &

Despite recent advances in information regarding perioperative care, postoperative pain continues to go undermanaged. Postoperative pain is the pain patients experience after a surgical procedure. According to Gan, 80% of all people who undergo surgeries experience postoperative pain, and 75% of them rate their pain at a moderate, severe, or extreme level (as cited by Cooney, 2016). Furthermore, inadequately managed pain can lead to patient dissatisfaction, decreased patient outcomes, and overall higher cost of care (Penprase, Brunetto, Dahmani, Forthoffer & Kapoor, 2015). In order to provide higher quality pain management,

The researchers inferred that the evidence discovered optimistic advantages of massage physiotherapy to bestow alleviation of bone pain in cancer patients; however, additional research analysis is essential to ascertain long-lasting impacts (Running & Turnbeaugh, 2011). A nonrandomized single-group pre and posttest design of a randomized two-period crossover of approximately 230 contributors and a substantial result over a three-year interval were appraised in the therapy of visceral pain (Running & Turnbeaugh, 2011). The researchers determined that the evidence champions the utilization of massage remedy in the therapy of visceral pain of cancer patient whilst the evidence is dated (Running & Turnbeaugh,

What does back pain, neck tension, headaches and anxiety all have in common? They are all treatable issues that can be relieved or treated through massage therapy. Stress-related symptoms are one potential treatment option for massage therapy. Massage may also be used to treat muscular pain following strenuous exercise. Tiffany Field, head of Psychology at the University of Miami School of Medicine's Touch Research Institute, explains that massage can limit our bodies fight or flight response associated with stressful or fearful situations. In university, many students will experience stressful moments with assignments, exams, and projects. What many students are unaware of, is how stress negatively impacts mental and physical health. Through the use of massage therapy, students can relieve stress and even sleep better at night. Massage can be used to cope with mood disorders and relieve muscle pain or tension. Field explains massage can increase blood flow and circulation of oxygen or nutrients throughout the muscles, as a method of removing metabolic wastes such as lactic acid that are produced through exercise (58). Massage is an excellent treatment for stress, pain, and sleep deprivation. With a massage therapy clinic on campus, charging at reduced rates, students would benefit by having the opportunity to improve their quality of sleep, limit emotional issues they may be feeling, improve their athletic performance and improve their academic performance.

Engwall (2009) defined pain as a "symptom and a warning that something is wrong in an organism” (p 370). Rathmell et al., (2006) maintained that fear of uncontrolled pain can be a traumatic situation for a patient undergoing surgery. Moreover, Pellino, et al (2005) sustained that “pain is a multidimensional experience, consisting of not only physical stimuli but also psychological interpretations of pain” (p. 182). Alleviating peri-operative pain is traditionally achieved with the use of pharmacological interventions. analgesia can incur undesirable side-effects like drowsiness, nausea and vomiting. Controlling the pain by complimenting analgesics with the use of non-pharmacological interventions, might ameliorate patients’ response to pain with fewer resultant side-effects. Thus, the need to evaluate the effect of non-pharmacological measures such as music, relaxation, hypnosis and others is highly solicited in the evolving heath system (Pyati & Gan, 2007).

The management of postoperative pain has received much interest nowadays. The intensity of postoperative pain depends on many factors such as type and duration of the surgery, type of anesthesia and analgesia used, and the patient’s mental and emotional status (11).

Understanding the health benefits of Therapeutic Massage written by: Denya6 Massages have always had an exciting role to play in the lives of those who receive them. Some view a massage as a means to be pampered, while still others seek them out for their ability to provide short-term relaxation and relief from stress. Still another category of people adheres to the alternative medical usage of massage - in the form of therapeutic massage - as a means for treating various medical ailments including pain. Though the therapeutic massage has sometimes been the subject of some controversy and has even been ridiculed at times by various conventional doctors, the fact is that each year sees a growing body of documentable evidence that demonstrates

I'm pretty sure you know that massage can do a whole lot more than relieving pain and soothing sore muscles.

According to John Hopkins Medicine (n.d.), pain is an uncomfortable feeling that tells you something may be wrong. It can be fixed, throbbing, stabbing, aching, pinching, or described in many other ways. Pain is categorized as either acute or chronic. Acute pain is usually severe and brief, and is often a signal that your body has been injured. Chronic pain can vary from mild to severe and is there for long periods of time (John Hopkins Medicine, n.d). This paper will discuss a scenario that entails which person is experiencing the most pain, how two people can have the same procedure experience different levels of pain, factors that contribute to each person’s pain level, and two complementary/alternative methods of pain control.

Massage therapy can help with alleviating muscle tension, diminishing stress, and bringing to mind feelings of calmness, along with helping chronic fatigue syndrome, easing chronic constipation, and enhancing self image. It also manipulates the activity of the musculoskeletal, circulatory, lymphatic, and nervous systems in the body. Clinical studies have revealed that massage relieves chronic back pain more effectively than other treatments and most times it is more cost effective than other treatments ("University of Maryland Medical Center").