The underlying mechanism by which
massage therapy decreases hyperactivity and increases attentiveness is not
clear, although physiological and biochemical data from the Field et al.
studies suggest some possibilities, including that brain waves are altered in
the direction of heightened alertness (see Field et al., 1996). In addition, increased
vagal tone (and thus increased parasympathetic
activity) has been noted during massage therapy, and this increase is often
associated with enhanced attentiveness and a more relaxed state (Porges, 1991). Massage therapy may enhance vagal control of the heart by improving a deficient
physiological inhibitory system. This, in turn, might help hyperactive or
learning disordered children to mediate and inhibit spontaneous activity and
thereby increase their level of attentiveness. Those with each subtype of ADHD
are expected to benefit from massage therapy given that the attentional
deficit is considered the primary symptom underlying hyperactivity-impulsivity
(Dykman, Ackerman, Clements, & Peters, 1971). The
restlessness is assumed to be secondary and reflective of diffuse patterns of
sensory discharge in the brain (activating motor areas).
In the present investigation,
massage therapy was selected as an additional treatment for those receiving
ongoing intervention, because prior studies found that it exceeded the effects
of relaxation therapy and other stress management treatments used in various
clinical samples, including youths with ADHD (Field et al., 1992, 1998).
Previous massage studies also reported increases in vagal
tone during massage therapy (Field, 1995). It would follow that massage therapy
might improve attention in those with ADHD by promoting vagal
control of heart rate.