Massage could be an effective therapy for reducing stress in people working in emergency medical services, according to a study published in the International Journal of Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork.

People working in emergency services often suffer from occupational stress, so the study sought to establish whether massage could help.

Researchers recruited 58 people working in prehospital emergency medical service stations in southwest Iran to participate in a randomised controlled trial. The participants were randomly assigned to two groups, with a control group receiving no intervention and a massage group, where participants received 20-25 minutes of Swedish massage, twice a week for four weeks.

The results showed significant differences between the two groups, indicating that Swedish massage could be an effective therapy in reducing occupational stress in staff working in emergency medical service centres.

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