This study explored whether massage combined with meditation is more helpful than massage alone for
women recovering from autologous tissue reconstruction after mastectomy for breast cancer. Forty
patients were randomly assigned to either massage therapy or massage plus meditation on postoperative
days 1 through 3. Outcome measures were 1) visual analog scale (VAS) scores for stress, anxiety,
relaxation, insomnia, alertness, fatigue, tension, pain, mood, and energy, and 2) Perceived Stress Scale-14
scores. Nineteen patients in each group finished the study. Preintervention and postintervention mean
total VAS scores improved significantly in both groups (P < .001), but no significant difference occurred
between groups.
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