RECOVARI – Postoperative massage in colorectal cancer patients: a randomized controlled, three-arm parallel group trial

Abstract Purpose : This study aimed to investigate the impact of Rhythmical Embrocation (RE), a massage technique, on postoperative stress levels of colorectal cancer surgery patients compared to empathic conversation. Methods : The study included 68 patients who were randomised into three groups: one received RE from professionals, another from students, and the third had empathic conversations. Stress was quantified using heart rate variability before and after the interventions. Results: The standard deviation of the heartbeat intervals (SDNN) increased more in the professional RE group 9.12 ms (IQR 3.59-12.3 ms) than in the other groups: student RE group 5.68 ms (-0.66-7.5 ms), empathic conversation group 6.64 ms (-1.49-7.38 ms); hence stress decreased more in the professional RE group, although not statistically significant (p= 0.21). Other factors like sleep quality, nausea, pain, and mood did not differ significantly between the groups. No complications were associated with the interventions. Conclusion : he study had limitations, including a small sample size, high patient variability, and imbalances between groups. Patients also received effective treatments for pain, sleep, and nausea, potentially affecting the results. The study suggests that future research on RE should focus on a more narrowly defined patient population, increase the sample size, and choose a clinical context with fewer confounding factors to obtain more meaningful results. Trial registration : The trial has been registered in the German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS) under the ID DRKS00023407 on 2nd November 2020. The trial was approved by the ethics committee of the University Medical Center Freiburg under the number 356/20 on 20th October 2020.