Study designs of evaluations included in the review
Controlled trials of abdominal massage conducted against a non-massage control group were included. Trials that compared one form of massage with another were excluded. Actual studies were of controlled cross-over design.
Specific interventions included in the review
Massage including abdominal massage was carried out in the following regimes: nine sessions each of twenty minutes duration; daily for five days per week for seven or twelve weeks; or regularly for one month. Concomitant treatment included a supervised exercise programme. Comparison therapies included no massage, connective tissue manipulation, and laxatives as before the trial.
Participants included in the review
Participants included chronically constipated patients with a transit time in excess of sixty hours, elderly chair bound or bedfast patients with chronic constipation and laxative use, disabled institutionalised adults with severe chronic constipation and healthy male volunteers.
Outcomes assessed in the review
The following outcomes were assessed: total colonic transit times using radiopaque markers; stool frequency; number of days with bowel movements; episodes of faecal incontinence; number of enemas given; stool consistency; gastrointestinal transit time; and patient well-being.
How were decisions on the relevance of primary studies made?
The author does not state how the papers were selected for the review, or how many of the reviewers performed the selection.