Table 2.
Pretreatment Versus Posttreatment for Visual Analog Scale Scores
| VAS criterion | Start of session |
End of session |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Massage only, mean (SD) (n = 21)a | Massage+Acupuncture, mean (SD) (n = 19)a | Effect estimate (95% CI), pb | Massage only, mean (SD) (n = 21)a | Massage+Acupuncture, mean (SD) (n = 19)a | Effect estimate (95% CI), pb | |
| Stress | ||||||
| Baseline (screen pretest) | 4.57 (2.96) | 3.95 (2.67) | 4.57 (2.96) | 3.95 (2.67) | ||
| Δ at visit 1 | −1.90 (3.37)c | +0.42 (2.14) | 1.13 (0.10–2.16), 0.03 | −3.76 (2.93)c | −2.16 (2.39)c | 0.69 (0.02–1.36), 0.04 |
| Δ at visit 2 | −1.71 (2.53)c | −0.21 (2.70) | −3.48 (2.66)c | −2.22 (2.76)c | ||
| Δ at visit 3 | −1.75 (2.24)c | −1.17 (2.81) | −3.10 (2.53)c | −2.50 (2.55)c | ||
| Anxiety | ||||||
| Baseline (screen pretest) | 4.14 (3.14) | 3.74 (2.49) | 4.14 (3.14) | 3.74 (2.49) | ||
| Δ at visit 1 | −1.24 (3.49) | +0.16 (1.92) | 0.93 (−0.21 to 2.06), 0.11 | −3.29 (3.15)c | −1.74 (2.56)c | 0.64 (−0.11 to 1.39), 0.09 |
| Δ at visit 2 | −1.33 (2.99) | +0.05 (2.53) | −3.19 (3.04)c | −2.06 (2.53)c | ||
| Δ at visit 3 | −1.60 (3.23)c | −0.78 (2.67) | −2.50 (2.98)c | −2.28 (2.47)c | ||
| Relaxation | ||||||
| Baseline (screen pretest) | 4.14 (2.92) | 4.84 (2.14) | 4.14 (2.92) | 4.84 (2.14) | ||
| Δ at visit 1 | −0.14 (3.40) | −1.00 (2.67) | −0.24 (−1.37 to 0.88), 0.66 | +4.67 (3.02)c | +3.47 (2.52)c | −0.17 (−1.01 to 0.66), 0.68 |
| Δ at visit 2 | +1.38 (3.22) | +0.21 (2.64) | +4.62 (3.40)c | +3.56 (2.36)c | ||
| Δ at visit 3 | +0.85 (3.15) | +0.72 (2.08) | +4.25 (3.16)c | +4.00 (2.11)c | ||
| Nausea | ||||||
| Baseline (screen pretest) | 0.57 (1.57) | 0.16 (0.69) | 0.57 (1.57) | 0.16 (0.69) | ||
| Δ at visit 1 | +1.43 (2.87)c | +1.63 (2.34)c | −0.66 (−1.65 to 0.34), 0.19 | −0.10 (1.58) | +0.89 (2.14) | −0.19 (−0.81 to 0.43), 0.53 |
| Δ at visit 2 | +1.81 (2.56)c | +0.95 (1.99) | +0.81 (2.73) | +0.33 (1.28) | ||
| Δ at visit 3 | +1.00 (2.20) | +0.39 (1.20) | −0.05 (1.70) | −0.06 (0.80) | ||
| Fatigue | ||||||
| Baseline (screen pretest) | 3.76 (3.24) | 3.74 (1.52) | 3.76 (3.24) | 3.74 (1.52) | ||
| Δ at visit 1 | +2.62 (3.76)c | +2.95 (2.93)c | 0.17 (−1.11 to 1.46), 0.79 | +0.71 (4.52) | +0.84 (2.24) | 0.17 (−1.32 to 1.67), 0.81 |
| Δ at visit 2 | +1.52 (3.79) | +1.84 (2.67)c | +0.19 (4.49) | +0.83 (2.64) | ||
| Δ at visit 3 | +1.10 (2.53) | +1.44 (3.15) | −0.80 (3.50) | −0.33 (2.57) | ||
| Pain | ||||||
| Baseline (screen pretest) | 1.71 (2.39) | 1.00 (1.33) | 1.71 (2.39) | 1.00 (1.33) | ||
| Δ at visit 1 | +3.05 (2.46)c | +3.95 (1.68)c | −0.19 (−1.14 to 0.75), 0.68 | +1.14 (2.29)c | +1.63 (2.11)c | −0.76 (−1.52 to 0.003), 0.05 |
| Δ at visit 2 | +2.43 (3.20)c | +2.74 (2.13)c | +0.81 (3.52) | +0.72 (1.84) | ||
| Δ at visit 3 | +1.75 (2.22)c | +1.56 (2.04)c | +0.90 (2.59) | +0.06 (1.51) | ||
| Mood | ||||||
| Baseline (screen pretest) | 7.19 (2.38) | 7.21 (2.04) | 7.19 (2.38) | 7.21 (2.04) | ||
| Δ at visit 1 | −1.05 (2.52) | −0.63 (1.83) | 0.48 (−0.42 to 1.38), 0.29 | +0.81 (2.58) | +0.28 (1.96) | −0.06 (−0.85 to 0.72), 0.87 |
| Δ at visit 2 | −0.86 (2.35) | −0.84 (1.50)c | +0.62 (2.54) | +0.50 (1.58) | ||
| Δ at visit 3 | −0.90 (2.53) | −0.06 (2.07) | +0.50 (2.61) | +1.00 (1.60)c | ||
One participant did not complete visit 3 in the Massage-Only Group. In the Massage+Acupuncture Group, one participant did not complete the acupuncture portion in visit 3 and one participant did not complete acupuncture in visit 2 or any treatment in visit 3.
Data were analyzed with use of a linear mixed model with an autoregressive covariance structure to account for the repeated-measures study design. In all cases, the independent variable was study group (Massage+Acupuncture Group vs. Massage-Only Group); the baseline value of the screening pretest score was included as a covariate. The effect estimate corresponds to the estimated difference between study groups (Massage+Acupuncture minus Massage Only).
p < 0.05 for two-sided paired t test of visit compared with baseline.
Δ, change; CI, confidence interval; SD, standard deviation; VAS, visual analog scale.