Effects of Back Massages on Stress Observed in Students Preparing for the National License Examination

Abstract

We measured serum level of cortisol and lactate, the stiffness of trapezius, skin blood flow and VAS before and after the back massages of 25 senior college students, who had sent stressful days for 11 months starting from April, preparing for the national license examination. These students usually had complaints of stiffness of shoulder and/or lumber. Back massages significantly reduced the level of serum cortisol from 8.85 ± 0.78 to 5.95 ± 0.68 μg/dl, without affecting that of lactate. The treatment also improved the stiffness of the trapezius of students with complaints from 63.24 ± 0.78 to 59.12 ± 0.78 after the treatment without affecting skin blood flow (SKBF). In addition, back massages reduced the VAS value at the same time. These results indicate that back massages of the student are effective to improve the physical and psychological conditions of the students.