The Effect of Foot Massage on Pain of the Intensive Care Patients: A Parallel Randomized Single-Blind Controlled Trial
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 16, 2025
Objective Nociceptive Assessment in Ventilated ICU Patients: A Feasibility Study Using Pupillometry and the Nociceptive Flexion Reflex
Published on: July 4, 2018
Masoumeh Momeni1, Mansoor Arab2, Mahlagha Dehghan3
1Student Research Committee, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.
Materials And Methods:
This randomized, parallel, single-blind controlled trial study was performed on 75 ICU patients. Patients were allocated into three groups (massage by a nurse, massage by the patient's family, and control group) by the minimization method. Swedish massage was provided for the patients in experimental groups (each foot for 5 minutes) once a day for six days. The pain was examined in all three groups before, immediately, and one week after the intervention.
Results:
The mean scores of pain in the groups of foot massage by the patient's family and by a nurse showed a significant reduction at the end of the study (from 4.48 to 3.36 and 4.76 to 2.96, respectively). The control group had significantly more pain after the intervention than the family-based massage group and the nurse-based massage group (P < 0.05). Although significant difference was found in the mean scores of pain between the massage provided by a nurse and that provided by the patient's family immediately after the intervention (P < 0.05), it was not significant one week after the intervention (P > 0.05).
Conclusion:
Using foot massage, by both nurses and family members can reduce the pain of ICU patients. This intervention may improve the nursing care quality with the least cost and complications.
