Partner-Delivered Reflexology: Effects On Cancer Pain and Anxiety.
Moderate EvidenceIn Plain Language: reflexology for anxiety, explained
| 42 experimental and 44 control subjects comprised 86 dyads of patients with metastatic cancer and their partners, representing 16 different types of cancer. Partners received a 30 minute teaching session on reflexology. Following the initial partner-delivered foot reflexology, patients experienced a significant decrease in pain and anxiety. Conclusion: | Partners who have received a reflexology training are able to deliver foot reflexology to patients with metastatic cancer which results in an immediate decrease in pain intensity and anxiety. **Implications for Nursing:** Hospitals could have qualified professionals offer reflexology as a complementary therapy and teach interested partners the modality.
Key Findings: what this randomised trial found about anxiety
- ✓Partners who received a 30-minute reflexology training session were able to deliver foot reflexology effectively to patients with metastatic cancer.
- ✓Partner-delivered foot reflexology resulted in immediate and significant decreases in both pain intensity and anxiety among cancer patients.
- ✓Reflexology as a partner-delivered complementary therapy is feasible across diverse cancer types, as the study included patients with 16 different types of metastatic cancer.
What This Means for You
If you have metastatic cancer, partner-delivered reflexology after basic training may provide quick relief from pain and anxiety, though this benefit appears to be immediate rather than long-lasting.
What This Means for Practitioners
This study supports reflexology's value in oncology settings and suggests that teaching partners to deliver reflexology could extend access to complementary care and enhance patient outcomes.
Study Design: how this randomised trial was run
Reflexology for anxiety: common questions
Does reflexology help with anxiety?
If you have metastatic cancer, partner-delivered reflexology after basic training may provide quick relief from pain and anxiety, though this benefit appears to be immediate rather than long-lasting.
What did this study find?
Partners who received a 30-minute reflexology training session were able to deliver foot reflexology effectively to patients with metastatic cancer. Partner-delivered foot reflexology resulted in immediate and significant decreases in both pain intensity and anxiety among cancer patients. Reflexology as a partner-delivered complementary therapy is feasible across diverse cancer types, as the study included patients with 16 different types of metastatic cancer.
How strong is this evidence?
This is a randomised trial and we rate its evidence moderate. It covers 86 participants. It was published in Oncology Nursing Forum, a Q1 journal. Reflexology is a complementary therapy, not a replacement for medical treatment.
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