The effect of Swedish massage on quality of sleep in rheumatoid arthritis patients: A randomized controlled trial - Abstract
Background: Sleep disorders can negatively influence patients’ general health and increase complications and symptoms associated with rheumatoid arthritis patients.
Aim: The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of Swedish massage on quality of sleep in rheumatoid arthritis patients.
Methods: This study was a Randomized controlled clinical trial. We enrolled 60 Patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Participants were assigned to the intervention and control groups. Participants in the intervention group received 30 min of Swedish massage on the joints involved, for 8 weeks. Participants in the control group received only the routine care. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index was completed by all participants at the beginning of the trial, immediately after, and a month after the intervention.
Results: In the intervention group, the mean scores of five subscales, including use of sleeping medication, sleep disturbances, sleep duration, sleep latency, and day time dysfunction, were also improved immediately after and one month after the intervention (p< 0.05). Furthermore, the results of Repeated Measure ANOVA indicated that in the intervention group, the mean scores of quality of sleep and these subscales improved over time (p <0.05). These differences in terms of two other subscales of the PSQI, including habitual sleep efficiency and subjective sleep quality, were not significant (p> 0.05).