Relieve pain, heal and de-stress: Free massage therapy for patients at Merit Health Wesley...

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Residency programs at Forrest General and Merit Health Wesley are helping to combat the expected physician shortage across Mississippi. Haskel Burns/Hattiesburg American

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Phebe McKay, Merit Health Wesley chief nursing officer(Photo: Special to Hattiesburg American)Buy Photo


Patients hospitalized at Merit Health Wesley have a new way to relieve pain, heal and de-stress. The hospital is offering no-cost massage therapy when requested by a doctor or ordered by nursing staff.

The massage therapy program began last month, said Phebe McKay, chief nursing officer.

"We tried to slowly introduce this to patients a few days a week, but it quickly became popular," she said in an email. "Now, massage therapy can be requested by a physician as an alternative therapy for pain control or can be ordered by nursing staff as a means to assist patients with relaxation."

McKay said massage used to be routinely given to hospital patients to ease tension and help bedridden patients relax.

"Over time, as the nursing profession grew and moved toward more technology-based practices, massage therapy was removed from the nursing school curriculum," she said. "(But) there are an increasing number of studies related to healing touch massage therapy and the positive impact on patients for decreased anxiety and pain (and) also in relaxation and stress relief."

More: Residency programs continue to grow at hospitals

The licensed massage therapist, Arielle Testa, makes the rounds on all floors daily and lets patients and staff know she is available for a hand, foot or shoulder massage. She can also be called on the in-house phone for an appointment.

"Normally patients experience getting blood drawn and getting a test ran, so this is a nice extension to help their stay go a little better, and in some cases, increase their overall well-being," Testa said in an email. "By the end of the session, they are happier and always appreciative for the experience."

Testa said she can make a difference in a patient's condition and improve his or her hospital stay.

"We want them to feel better than they did before," she said. "If I can help get rid of some of the swelling in their feet so they can walk down the hall, ease their headache or just ease the pain in their neck from being in a hospital bed, then I feel like I've done my job well that day."

The American Massage Therapy Association lists research on its website citing that massage therapy can help with anxiety, depression, immune function, blood pressure and heart rate, pain, range of motion and quality of sleep.

It also says massage therapy can aid in recovery from various health conditions including headaches, post-surgical improvement, burn rehabilitation and minimizing the side effects of anti-cancer treatments.

Testa said Merit Health Wesley will be doing some data tracking to see how effective the massage therapy is.

"Our massage therapist will be monitored for quality and improved outcomes in the upcoming months," she said. "Pain relief and improved patient experience will be evaluated by patient survey, and pain decrease will also be evaluated by the nurse's assessment of the patient."

Testa said the new massage therapy program is designed to let patients know they are cared for.

"We want to ensure that patients feel our compassion," she said. "Human touch expresses caring and kindness, and a healing touch can convey what words sometimes cannot."

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