The effect of massage therapy on weight gain and calories intake in premature neonates: a brief report

Background: Improvement of growth, nutrition and calories intake in neonates is derived by massage. Methods: This study is a randomized clinical trials settled in Vali-e-Asr Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) ward in 2012. The control group consisted of 19 infants who were not massaged on them. 15 infants in the intervention group received massage therapy for 10 days, three times a day by trained massage theurapist. Massage last 15 minutes and was done one hour after feeding. Massages were done in 2-7 days neonates. Weight gain, intake calories and oral feeding were compared between studied groups. Data was registered in SPSS v.18 and was analyzed via compatible statistics tests. Results: There were no significant different anthropometric measures at birth (weight-head circumferences and height) and gestational ages of delivery between two groups. Massages had no side effects on cases. Caloric intake at the end of 10 days (end of intervention) showed significant differences between the two groups (P=0.04). But no differences was shown for weight gain. Cases who received massage reached sooner to oral feeding but this difference was significant at 90% significance level (P=0.08). Conclusion: After 10 days, massage therapy increases oral nutritional intake but to find more accurate details requires further studies to be planned