Analgesic effects of reflexology in patients undergoing surgical procedures: A randomized controlled trial

By: Attias S., Sivan K., Avneri O., Sagee A., Ben-Arye E., Grinberg O., Sroka G., Matter I., Schiff E.
Published in: Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine
SDGs : SDG 03  |  Units:   | Time: 2018 |  Link
Description: Objective: Inadequate treatment of pain in patients undergoing surgery is associated with unsatisfactory perioperative o utcomes. The aim of this study was to examine the role of reflexology in addition to standard analgesic treatment in postoperative pain management. Design: This was a prospective, unblinded pragmatic controlled trial. Setting/Location: Study participants included patients who were admitted to the general surgery department. Interventions: Patients in the intervention group received reflexology while standard analgesic care was administered similarly in both groups. Outcome measures: Pain intensity at rest and in motion was evaluated using visual analog scale (VAS [0-10]) at baseline, and 60-90 min after treatment. Results: Pain reduction was clinically and statistically significant in the reflexology group, both for pain at rest (from mean VAS of 4.4 to 3.1, N = 77, p < 0.0001) and for pain in motion (from 6.2 to 4.2, N = 77, p < 0.0001). In the control group, pain at rest was not reduced at follow-up (from 4.7 to 4.6, N = 87, p = 0.92), nor was pain in motion (from 5.8 to 5.7, N = 87, p = 0.65). Comparison of mean difference for pain showed significant improvement in the reflexology group compared to the standard of care group (p < 0.0001). The most significant pain reduction in the reflexology group was observed among patients who had moderate-severe baseline pain (VAS >4). Conclusion: Adding reflexology to standard analgesic care is effective in reducing postoperative pain at rest and in motion, especially for patients experiencing moderate to severe pain. © Copyright 2018, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. 2018.