The purpose of this study was to determine whether massage with or without physical exercise impacted weight gain or length of hospital stay for premature infants.

Premature infants are often cared for in a fashion that minimizes physical activity in order to reduce stress and stress-related complications. Previous studies have indicated that massage therapy may increase weight gain and enabled earlier discharge of premature infants.

In this study, premature infants were randomly assigned to one of three groups:

A: Control Group

B: Massage Group, 15 minutes twice a day;

C: Massage and physical exercise group 15 minutes each, twice a day.

Inclusion Criteria:

• low birth weight, less than 1500 grams
• weight of at least 1000 grams at time of entry into study
• must be at least one week of age
• must have relative medical stability
• gestational age between 28-32 weeks

Exclusion Criteria:

• infants with major congenital anomaly
• those that require mechanical ventilatory support
• those that are restricted in their movement or ability to undergo the intervention