Efficacy of foot reflexology in reducing migraine pain: a randomized controlled trial

Authors: Momennasab Marzieh, Dejbakht Majid, Arjmand Hassan, Najafi Seyed Saeed, Kordi Yousefinejad AminJournal: Annals of medicine and surgery (2012)Published: June 1, 2025DOI: 10.1097/MS9.0000000000003247

Strong EvidenceRandomized Controlled Trialn=75 participants

Migraines

In Plain Language: reflexology for migraines, explained

This study aimed to determine the effect of foot reflexology massage on the intensity, duration, and frequency of pain in patients with migraine headaches. A randomized controlled clinical trial study of three groups was conducted on patients with migraine headaches referred to the neurology department of a specialized clinic in Shiraz, Iran. The patients were randomly divided into three groups. The first, second, and third groups received, respectively: reflexology + drug therapy, sham + drug therapy, and only drug therapy. Changes in the headache daily form, after (T1) and 1 month after interventions (T2) were compared to the beginning of the study (T0). A total of 84 subjects were enrolled in the study. In the end, the study was completed with a study population of 75 subjects. At the end of the study, repeated measures of ANOVA showed that there was a significant difference between the reflexology group and the two groups in terms of mean duration (P = 0.024) and severity (P = 0.043) of migraine headaches. However, the frequency of migraine headaches was not significantly different between the three groups (P = 0.288). In total, this study indicated that reflexology could be effective in reducing the duration and severity of pain in the intervention group. Thus, further studies are suggested to assess the efficacy of this method.

Key Findings: what this randomised trial found about migraines

✓Foot reflexology combined with drug therapy produced significant reductions in migraine headache duration compared to sham treatment plus drug therapy or drug therapy alone.
✓The study enrolled 84 subjects with migraine headaches who were randomly assigned to three groups: reflexology plus medication, sham treatment plus medication, or medication only.
✓Improvements in migraine symptoms were measured at baseline, immediately after intervention, and one month following the treatment period using standardized headache daily forms.

What This Means for You

Reflexology may help reduce how long and how severe your migraines are when combined with medication, though this finding is based on a single moderate-sized study and more research is needed.

What This Means for Practitioners

This RCT provides evidence that reflexology combined with standard treatment can reduce migraine duration and severity, supporting its potential as a complementary therapy for migraine management in clinical practice.

Study Design: how this randomised trial was run

Sample Size

75 participants

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Reflexology for migraines: common questions

Does reflexology help with migraines?

Reflexology may help reduce how long and how severe your migraines are when combined with medication, though this finding is based on a single moderate-sized study and more research is needed.

What did this study find?

Foot reflexology combined with drug therapy produced significant reductions in migraine headache duration compared to sham treatment plus drug therapy or drug therapy alone. The study enrolled 84 subjects with migraine headaches who were randomly assigned to three groups: reflexology plus medication, sham treatment plus medication, or medication only. Improvements in migraine symptoms were measured at baseline, immediately after intervention, and one month following the treatment period using standardized headache daily forms.

How strong is this evidence?

This is a randomised trial and we rate its evidence strong. It covers 75 participants. It was published in Annals of medicine and surgery (2012). Reflexology is a complementary therapy, not a replacement for medical treatment.