Massage Therapy Journal Fall 2025

72 • Massage Therapy Journal

Ice Ice Baby: Ice Massage Shows Promise in Relieving Pain At one time or another, we have all been in a spot where we have twisted an ankle or bumped our head and grabbed an ice pack or a bag of frozen peas to apply to the area. Applying ice to the injured area helps reduce inflammation, as well as relieve pain. Ice massage takes the benefits of cold therapy and adds the benefits of massage. Ice massage, also referred to as ice cupping, uses a tool called an ice cup to gently massage a specific area of the body, and is commonly used to reduce pain, increase blood circulation and promote lymph drainage. One study 4 looked at the effect of ice massage on labor pain, labor comfort, labor duration and anxiety. The study equally divided 100 pregnant women into an intervention group and a control group. Rotational ice massage was applied to the SP6 point on both legs of the pregnant women in the intervention group at four to five centimeters, six to seven centimeters, and eight to nine centimeters dilation during three contractions. Standard midwifery care was provided to the control group. The study found the Visual Analog Scale scores were significantly lower in the intervention group compared to the control group following the intervention at all dilation levels. Additionally, the total CCQ and comfort level scores of the pregnant women in the intervention group at 8- to 9-centimeters dilatation were significantly higher than the control group. Another study 5 looked beyond pain and explored the effect of abdominal ice massage on blood glucose level and cardiovascular function. Fifty volunteers were recruited for the study and underwent one session of ice massage to the abdomen for 20 minutes. Systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), pulse rate (PR), pulse pressure, mean arterial pressure (MAP), rate pressure product (RPP), and double product (Do-P) were assessed before, immediately after and 20 minutes after the intervention. The study showed a significant reduction in PR, RPP and Do-P in post-test assessments. The assessment at 20 minutes showed a significant reduction in random blood glucose, SBP, DBP, PR, MAP, RPP and Do-P compared to pre-test assessments. Overall, ice massage has shown promise in helping people in a variety of ways by combining the benefits of cryotherapy with the benefits of massage.

The Nocebo Effect: A Self-Fulfilling Prophecy The flip side of the placebo effect coin, however, is nocebo. Nocebo effects, according to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), are side effects or symptoms that can occur with a drug or other therapy simply because the patient believes they may occur .

The NCI illustrates how the nocebo effect works by explaining how some patients in a trial who are informed of possible side effects will experience these symptoms even when given the placebo vs. the active treatment. In other words, just being aware of the possible side effects can be enough to bring them about.

Renphoto / istock.com

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