A pilot study of parents' experiences of reflexology treatment for infants with colic in Finland

Authors: Hannula Leena, Puukka Pauli, Asunmaa Marjut, Mäkijärvi MarkkuJournal: Scandinavian journal of caring sciencesPublished: December 1, 2020DOI: 10.1111/scs.12790

Q2 JournalSJR: 0.3h-index: 22

Preliminary EvidencePilotn=35 participants

Insomnia

In Plain Language: reflexology for sleep, explained

Many infants under 4 months suffer from infantile colic. Infants with colic cry a lot, appear to be in pain, and it is difficult to sooth them. Colic is a painful condition for the infant and very stressful to parents. Parents in Finland get advice to try reflexology treatment for their infant, but there are no studies in Finland to support this advice. The aim of the pilot study was to treat infants with reflexology and find out parents' experiences of the effects of the treatment on colic symptoms and parental stress. A total of 33 parents of 35 infants diagnosed with colic participated to the pilot study. Three certified reflexologists with health care education background and extensive experience in infant reflexology were trained to give the reflexology treatment in a standardised manner. They treated each infant 3-4 times. The whole body reflexology treatment session consisted of gentle pressure treatment of soles and feet, hands, head, face, ears, back, neck and whole stomach area. One treatment session lasted about 20-30 minutes, and treatments were delivered within 8-12 days. The data were collected from the parents with semi-structured questionnaires. The series of the treatments helped reduce the suffering of all the babies with infant colic. The colic symptoms disappeared on 43% of infants and decreased on the remaining 57%. The parents reported having pleasant experiences with the treatment, regardless whether the colic symptoms disappeared or continued. Parents stated that the treatment reduced the most typical colic symptoms; infants' body tension, colic crying and restless movements, poor sleep quality and irregular bowel movements. Reflexology treatment seems to be a safe and effective way to treat infants with colic when conducted by a health care professional with reflexology training and experience.

Key Findings: what this pilot study found about sleep

✓The study involved 33 parents of 35 infants diagnosed with colic who received reflexology treatment administered by three certified reflexologists with healthcare backgrounds.
✓Each infant received 3-4 standardized reflexology treatment sessions that included gentle pressure applied to the soles, feet, hands, head, face, ears, back, and neck.
✓The research aimed to evaluate parents' subjective experiences of how reflexology treatment affected both colic symptoms in infants and stress levels in parents.

What This Means for You

While this pilot study shows promising results for reflexology and infant colic, it's a small study without a comparison group, so more rigorous research is needed before making it a first-line treatment recommendation.

What This Means for Practitioners

This preliminary evidence suggests parents appreciate reflexology for colicky infants and report positive outcomes, which may support your practice offering, but larger controlled studies are needed to establish efficacy.

Study Design: how this pilot study was run

Sample Size

35 participants

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Reflexology for sleep: common questions

Does reflexology help with sleep?

What did this study find?

The study involved 33 parents of 35 infants diagnosed with colic who received reflexology treatment administered by three certified reflexologists with healthcare backgrounds. Each infant received 3-4 standardized reflexology treatment sessions that included gentle pressure applied to the soles, feet, hands, head, face, ears, back, and neck. The research aimed to evaluate parents' subjective experiences of how reflexology treatment affected both colic symptoms in infants and stress levels in parents.

How strong is this evidence?

This is a pilot study and we rate its evidence preliminary. It covers 35 participants. It was published in Scandinavian journal of caring sciences, a Q2 journal. Reflexology is a complementary therapy, not a replacement for medical treatment.