Effect of foot reflexology and slow stroke back massage on the severity of fatigue in patients undergoing hemodialysis: A semi-experimental study
Moderate EvidenceIn Plain Language: reflexology, explained
Background Fatigue is one of the most disturbing and the most common symptoms reported by patients dialyzed. There are methods available on complementary and alternative medicine, through which nurses can help patients to promote their health. Reflexology is a treatment which has a long history and is considered as one of the most popular and the most widespread methods of alternative medicine. In this study, the effects of foot reflexology and slow stroke back massage on the severity of fatigue in patients treated with hemodialysis were measured. Methods This is a quasi-experimental study that performed on 52 patients chosen from Imam Khomeini dialysis center in Zabol and divided into control and intervention groups by randomize allocation method. Required information collected from a demographic and fatigue severity questionnaire. After completing questionnaires by the study subjects, foot massage and slow stroke back massage was performed during three weeks, two sessions each week (5 sessions in total). At the end of intervention data of two groups was collected. Data was analyzed using independent sample t-Test, Chi-squared test, Fisher exact test, oneway ANOVA with repeated measures and Bonferroni test by SPSS software version 21. Results The mean [±SD] fatigue in patients with foot reflexology massage and slow stroke back massage reflect on the 53.61[±10.12] and 52.20 [±10.37], and the differences were not significant, but after the intervention, fatigue in the group receiving foot reflexology massage was reduced significantly compared to slow stroke back massage group (p<0.0001). Conclusions The result of this study showed that reflexology massage is a safe and economical nursing intervention for decreasing fatigue in hemodialysis patients.
Key Findings: what this observational study found
- ✓Foot reflexology and slow stroke back massage were applied to hemodialysis patients over three weeks with two sessions per week to measure their effects on fatigue severity.
- ✓Fatigue is identified as one of the most common and disturbing symptoms reported by hemodialysis patients, creating a need for complementary intervention strategies.
- ✓The study compared fatigue severity outcomes between control and intervention groups of 52 hemodialysis patients using randomized allocation and fatigue severity questionnaires.
What This Means for You
While this study found that reflexology and back massage may help reduce fatigue during dialysis, the results were not strong enough to confirm clear benefits over standard care alone.
What This Means for Practitioners
Consider reflexology as a supportive complementary approach for dialysis patients experiencing fatigue, but recognize current evidence is moderate and further research with larger sample sizes is needed to demonstrate clear superiority over standard care.
Study Design: how this observational study was run
Common questions about this study
What does this study mean in practice?
While this study found that reflexology and back massage may help reduce fatigue during dialysis, the results were not strong enough to confirm clear benefits over standard care alone.
What did this study find?
Foot reflexology and slow stroke back massage were applied to hemodialysis patients over three weeks with two sessions per week to measure their effects on fatigue severity. Fatigue is identified as one of the most common and disturbing symptoms reported by hemodialysis patients, creating a need for complementary intervention strategies. The study compared fatigue severity outcomes between control and intervention groups of 52 hemodialysis patients using randomized allocation and fatigue severity questionnaires.
How strong is this evidence?
This is a observational study and we rate its evidence moderate. It covers 52 participants. It was published in Journal of complementary & integrative medicine, a Q2 journal. Reflexology is a complementary therapy, not a replacement for medical treatment.
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