Researchers have identified that massage therapy is not only an enjoyable treatment, it is also a safe and effective way to control blood pressure for people who are classified as 'prehypertensive' or 'high-normal', (blood pressure readings between 120/80mmHg and 140/90mmHg). People who have prehypertension are 3.5 times more likely to suffer from myocardial infarction and twice as likely to become hypertensive, than those with normal blood pressure (120/80mmHg).
Usually, prehypertensive patients are encouraged to manage their blood pressure with lifestyle interventions including exercise, weight loss and dietary modifications. This latest research shows that regular massage can be added to the lifestyle interventions.
The study focussed on 50 prehypertensive women and compared the effect of massage on blood pressure to the control group who took bed rest for the same period of time as the massage. The study identified a statistically significant difference in the systolic and diastolic blood pressure readings for the group who had regular massage.