Effects of Massage on Weight Gain and Jaundice in Term Neonates with Hyperbilirubinemia

Massage therapy is known as one of the complementary treatments. The present research was performed with the aim of studying the effects of 5 days of massage on weight gain and serum bilirubin levels in term infants with hyperbilirubinemia. This clinical trial research was carried out on 34 full-term infants with hyperbilirubinemia at a hospital in Gonabad, Iran. The infants weighted between 2500-4000 g at birth and had bilirubin levels of 13-24 mg/dl. The 34 infants hospitalized with hyperbilirubinemia were randomly assigned into a massage group comprising of 18 babies and a control group of 16 babies. A total of 25 infants completed the study. The intervention consisted of massage and passive movements carried out on the infants of the massage group in three 15-minute periods at the beginning of three consecutive hours, daily for 5 days. The mean bilirubin levels were monitored and compared with those of the control group. Data was analyzed in SPSS14 using independent t-test and Fisher's exact test. During the 5 days of intervention, the mean of daily weight gain among the infants was 28.8 g in the massage group and 15.83 g in the control group. The difference between the two groups was not statistically significant (P = 0.14). Bilirubin levels at the beginning of the study were 17.89 ± 2.12 mg/dl in the massage group and 17.87 ± 2.46 mg/dl in the control group (P = 0.98). However, the mean bilirubin levels on the 4th day of hospitalization showed a significant difference between the massage and control groups (9.92 ± 1.3 mg/dl vs. 11.97 ± 1.52 mg/dl; P = 0.001). This study showed that 5 days of massage therapy cannot cause significant differences in weight gain. However, massage had a significant effect in decreasing the bilirubin level of infants suffering from hyperbilirubinemia undergoing phototherapy treatment.