Massage therapy for the treatment of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children and adolescents : a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Objective: To summarize the current evidence on the effects and safety of massage therapy for the treatment of ADHD in children and adolescents. Method: A systematic review of 8 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and 3 case series studies was conducted with a meta-analysis of 4 of the RCTs. Results: Pooled 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 – 1.66; P = 0.0004). 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 = 0.0002), and asocial behavior (mean difference = − 8.60; 95%CI [−15.87, −1.33]; P = 0.02). Conclusion: Evidence suggests that massage therapy is beneficial for treating ADHD in children and adolescents.