Clinical Efficacy of Infantile Massage in the Treatment of Infant Functional Constipation: A Meta-Analysis
Zhi Liu, Li Gang, Ma Yunwei, Ling Lin · Frontiers in Public Health · 2021 June 11
DOI https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.663581
Objective
To compare the influence of infant massage intervention on defecation frequency and consistency, determine the effectiveness, and safety of infant massage in the treatment of infant functional constipation, and obtain high-quality clinical evidence.
Conclusions
TCM infant massage can increase defecation frequency and reduce the symptoms of constipation in children suffering from functional constipation; in addition, the clinical trial showed beneficial effects.
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Insights
Traditional Chinese medicine infant massage can reduce the symptoms of constipation in children suffering from functional constipation.
A review of 23 studies involving 2,005 patients found that traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) infant massage was more effective than drug therapy alone for treating infant functional constipation. The massage showed significant improvements in overall effectiveness, frequency of bowel movements, and constipation symptoms. However, there was no significant difference between the massage and drug therapy when it came to stool form and difficulty of defecation. The variations in results may be due to factors like patient conditions, different massage techniques, the effectiveness of drugs used in the control group, and variations in criteria for measuring effectiveness. The study did not detect any publication bias.
