This study explored the effect of slow-stroke back massage (SSBM) on anxiety and shoulder pain in hospitalised elderly patients with stroke. An experimental quantitative design was used, comparing the scores for self-reported pain, anxiety, blood pressure, heart rate and pain of two groups of patients before and immediately after, and three days after the intervention. The intervention consisted of 10 min of SSBM for seven consecutive evenings. One hundred and two patients participated in the study and were randomly assigned to a massage group or a control group. The results revealed that the massage intervention significantly reduced the patients’ levels of pain and anxiety. Physiological measures (systolic and diastolic blood pressures and heart rate) indicated relaxation. Prolonged effects of SSBM were reflected by the maintenance of the psycho-physiological parameters 3 days after the massage. The patients’ perceptions of SSBM revealed positive support for SSBM for elderly stroke patients.