A Calibrated Method of Massage Therapy Decreases Systolic Blood Pressure Concomitant With Changes in Heart Rate Variability in Male Rats

作者：Spurgin Kurt A^*; Kaprelian Anthony; Gutierrez Roberto; Jha Vidyasagar; Wilson Christopher G; Dobyns Abigail; Xu Karen H; Curras Collazo Margarita C

来源：Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, 2017, 40(2): 77-88.

DOI：10.1016/j.jmpt.2016.10.010

• Musculoskeletal Manipulations
• Sprague-Dawley Rat
• Long-Evans Rat
• Diastolic Blood Pressure
• Stress
• Sympathetic Nervous System
• Parasympathetic Tone

Objective: The purpose of this study was to develop a method for applying calibrated manual massage pressures by using commonly available, inexpensive sphygmomanometer parts and validate the use of this approach as a quantitative method of applying massage therapy to rodents.
Methods: Massage pressures were monitored by using a modified neonatal blood pressure (BP) cuff attached to an aneroid gauge. Lightly anesthetized rats were stroked on the ventral abdomen for 5 minutes at pressures of 20 mm Hg and 40 mm Hg. Blood pressure was monitored noninvasively for 20 minutes following massage therapy at 5-minute intervals. Interexaminer reliability was assessed by applying 20 mm Hg and 40 mm Hg pressures to a digital scale in the presence or absence of the pressure gauge.
Results: With the use of this method, we observed good interexaminer reliability, with intraclass coefficients of 0.989 versus 0.624 in blinded controls. In Long-Evans rats, systolic BP dropped by an average of 9.86% +/- 0.27% following application of 40 mm Hg massage pressure. Similar effects were seen following 20 mm Hg pressure (6.52% +/- 1.7%), although latency to effect was greater than at 40 mm Hg. Sprague-Dawley rats behaved similarly to Long-Evans rats. Low-frequency/high-frequency ratio, a widely-used index of autonomic tone in cardiovascular regulation, showed a significant increase within 5 minutes after 40 mm Hg massage pressure was applied.
Conclusions: The calibrated massage method was shown to be a reproducible method for applying massage pressures in rodents and lowering BP.

• 出版日期2017-2