J Korean Acad Nurs.  2007 Mar;37(2):221-226.

Effects of Skin Rehabilitation Massage Therapy on Pruritus, Skin Status, and Depression in Burn Survivors

• Roh YS
• Cho H
• Oh JO
• Yoon CJ

Abstract

PURPOSE: Hypertrophic scarring and depression are the principal problems of burn rehabilitation. This study was done to verify the effects of skin rehabilitation massage therapy (SRMT) on pruritus, skin status, and depression for Korean burn survivors.
METHODS
A pretest-posttest design using a nonequivalent control group was applied to examine the effects of SRMT for 3 months in a group of 18 burn survivors. The major dependent variables-including pruritus, objective and subjective scar status, and depression-were measured at the beginning and at the end of the therapy to examine the effects of SRMT.
RESULTS
Burn survivors receiving SRMT showed reduced pruritus, improved skin status, and depression. The remaining scar also showed improvement in skin pigmentation, pliability, vascularity, and height (compared to the surrounding skin) as measured on the Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS).
CONCLUSIONS
The findings demonstrate that SRMT for burn survivors may improve their scars both objectively and subjectively, and also reduce pruritus and depression.

Keyword

Burns; Massage; Pruritus; Depression

MeSH Terms

Adult
Burns/complications/*rehabilitation
Cicatrix, Hypertrophic/etiology/*prevention & control
Depressive Disorder/etiology/*prevention & control
Female
Humans
Male
*Massage
Pruritus/etiology/*prevention & control