Manual Massage in Plastic Surgery: Current Practices and Surgeons’ Perspectives

Manual massage is frequently recommended in the post-operative period after plastic surgery. However, in the literature, studies on manual massage have mostly been conducted within the scope of sports medicine, whereas the number of studies related to plastic surgery is limited. In this study, a questionnaire was applied to reveal plastic surgeons’ views of manual massage. A 14-item electronic questionnaire was administered to plastic surgeons in Turkey. Questions on frequently performed surgeries, reasons for recommending massage, level of knowledge about massage maneuvers, and other details were asked. The collected data were analyzed. A sample of 115 plastic surgeons responded. Eighty-eight percent thought that manual massage after plastic surgery worked effectively, and 93% recommended massage. The most common reason for recommending massage was “to speed up recovery from edema.” Eighteen percent could refer patients to a professional massage practitioner, but 41% thought that there were not enough studies in the plastic surgery literature on the post-operative use of manual massage. Sixty-three percent thought there should be sessions in scientific meetings, publications in journals, or other continuing medical education tools on manual massage in plastic surgery. This study revealed that manual massage is frequently used in plastic surgery and surgeons think that it works well. Level of Evidence V