Complementary therapies in medicine | 2019
Massage therapy for the treatment of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children and adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE\nTo summarize the current evidence on the effects and safety of massage therapy for the treatment of ADHD in children and adolescents.\n\n\nMETHOD\nA systematic review of 8 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and 3 case series studies was conducted with a meta-analysis of 4 of the RCTs.\n\n\nRESULTS\nPooled analysis showed that massage produced more improvement in ADHD symptoms in terms of effective rate compared to Ritalin (risk ratio: 1.39, 95%CI: 1.16\u202f-\u202f1.66; P\u202f=\u202f0.0004). Individual RCTs suggested that massage was differed significantly from waitlist control in improving the conditions of anxious-passive (mean difference: -11.7; 95%CI [-17.84, -5.56]; P\u202f=\u202f0.0002), and asocial behavior (mean difference\u202f=\u202f-\u202f8.60; 95%CI [-15.87, -1.33]; P\u202f=\u202f0.02).\n\n\nCONCLUSION\nEvidence suggests that massage therapy is beneficial for treating ADHD in children and adolescents.