Foot Reflexology for Pain and Anxiety Associated with Chest Tube Removal in Patients After Coronary Artery Bypass Graft: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Moderate EvidenceIn Plain Language: reflexology for anxiety, explained
Reflexology is a method used to control the pain and anxiety associated with chest tube removal in patients undergoing cardiovascular surgery. This study aimed to identify the effect of foot reflexology applied before chest tube removal on pain and anxiety levels in patients with coronary artery bypass graft surgery. This study was a randomized controlled clinical trial. This study was conducted in the cardiovascular surgery intensive care unit of the Baskent University Ankara Hospital. Patients, who underwent coronary artery bypass graft surgery, were randomly assigned either to the reflexology group or the control group (n = 28 individuals/group). The reflexology group received foot reflexology for 30 minutes in two sessions (first postoperative day and before chest tube removal). The primary outcomes of the surgery were pain, evaluated using a Numeric Pain-Rating Scale; and anxiety, evaluated using the Profile of Mood States Scale Tension-Anxiety Subscale. Pain and anxiety were determined on the first (before and after the reflexology) and second postoperative days (before and after the reflexology and immediately, 15 min, 1 hour (only pain level) after chest tube removal). The mean pain scores of the control and intervention groups were similar during chest tube removal, 15 minutes after, and 1 hour after (P > .05). Although mean anxiety scores were comparable after chest tube removal in both groups (P > .05), a significant difference was found 15 minutes later (P < .05). The increase in pain (P = .0001) and anxiety (P = .032) levels before and after the removal was significantly less in the intervention group compared to the control group, based on pain and anxiety scores. Foot reflexology significantly reduced the increase in pain and anxiety during chest tube removal in patients with coronary artery bypass graft surgery.
Key Findings: what this randomised trial found about anxiety
- ✓Foot reflexology was applied to coronary artery bypass graft patients in two 30-minute sessions (on the first postoperative day and before chest tube removal) to evaluate its effect on pain and anxiety.
- ✓The study was a randomized controlled trial with 28 patients assigned to each the reflexology group and control group, measuring pain using the Numeric Pain-Rating Scale and anxiety using the Profile of Mood States Scale Tension-Anxiety Subscale.
- ✓Reflexology showed promise as a method for controlling pain and anxiety associated with chest tube removal in patients undergoing cardiovascular surgery.
What This Means for You
Reflexology may provide modest help with anxiety during chest tube removal after heart surgery, though it did not significantly reduce pain in this study.
What This Means for Practitioners
This RCT suggests reflexology can support anxiety reduction in post-operative cardiac patients, supporting its use as a complementary intervention in hospital settings.
Study Design: how this randomised trial was run
Reflexology for anxiety: common questions
Does reflexology help with anxiety?
Reflexology may provide modest help with anxiety during chest tube removal after heart surgery, though it did not significantly reduce pain in this study.
What did this study find?
Foot reflexology was applied to coronary artery bypass graft patients in two 30-minute sessions (on the first postoperative day and before chest tube removal) to evaluate its effect on pain and anxiety. The study was a randomized controlled trial with 28 patients assigned to each the reflexology group and control group, measuring pain using the Numeric Pain-Rating Scale and anxiety using the Profile of Mood States Scale Tension-Anxiety Subscale. Reflexology showed promise as a method for controlling pain and anxiety associated with chest tube removal in patients undergoing cardiovascular surgery.
How strong is this evidence?
This is a randomised trial and we rate its evidence moderate. It covers 56 participants. It was published in Alternative therapies in health and medicine, a Q2 journal. Reflexology is a complementary therapy, not a replacement for medical treatment.
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