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The effects of foot reflexology on back pain after coronary angiography: A randomized controlled trial
Mojgan Kardan1, Bahare Zarei1, Hamidreza BahramiTaghanaki2
1Department of Nursing, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran.
Insights
Foot reflexology effectively reduced back pain in patients after coronary angiography (CA). This non-invasive therapy significantly decreased pain intensity compared to routine care, offering a promising complementary treatment.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Interventions
- Pain Management
- Complementary Therapies
Background:
- Back pain is a frequent complaint post-coronary angiography (CA) due to enforced bed rest.
- Current management often involves routine care, with limited options for immediate pain relief.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the efficacy of foot reflexology in alleviating back pain following CA.
- To compare pain reduction in patients receiving foot reflexology versus standard post-angiography care.
Main Methods:
- A randomized controlled trial involving 120 patients post-CA.
- Participants were assigned to either an 8-minute bilateral foot reflexology group or a control group receiving routine care.
- Back pain intensity was measured using a visual analogue scale at multiple time points post-intervention.
Main Results:
- Both groups experienced an increase in back pain post-angiography.
- The foot reflexology group demonstrated significantly lower back pain intensity at all measured time points compared to the control group (P < 0.001).
Conclusions:
- Foot reflexology is an effective intervention for reducing post-coronary angiography back pain.
- This therapy offers a significant benefit over routine care for pain management in this patient population.
Background And Aims:
Back pain is among the most common complaints of patients during the first hours after coronary angiography (CA), i.e. when they are restricted to complete bed rest. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of foot reflexology on back pain after CA.
Methods:
This randomized controlled trial was conducted in 2018-2019 on patients hospitalized in the post-angiography unit of Razi hospital, Birjand, Iran. Through convenience sampling, 120 patients were recruited and their demographic characteristics and baseline back pain intensity were assessed immediately after angiography using a demographic questionnaire and a visual analogue scale, respectively. Then, patients were randomly allocated to a control (n = 60) and a reflexology (n = 60) group through block randomization. Patients in the reflexology group received 8-min foot reflexology for each foot (16 min for both feet) while their counterparts in the control group solely received routine post-angiography care services. Back pain assessment was repeated for all participants immediately, two, four, and 6 h after the intervention. Data were analyzed using the SPSS software (v. 16.0).
Findings:
Back pain intensity significantly increased after angiography in both groups (P < 0.05). Yet, pain intensity in the reflexology group at all post-intervention measurement time points was significantly less than the control group (P < 0.001).
Conclusion:
Foot reflexology is effective in significantly reducing back pain after CA.
