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[Zone therapy of children with nocturnal enuresis]

Authors: Sietam K S, Eriksen LJournal: Ugeskrift for laegerPublished: September 21, 1998
Limited EvidencePilot

In Plain Language: urinary tract problems, explained

The purpose of the study was to clarify whether reflexology is a relevant treatment for enuresis nocturna, and to test a research design applicable to controlled experiments with reflexology. An unblinded method was used comparing a treatment group (1) receiving reflexology to a non-treatment group (2) keeping the same record of symptoms. At the start of the study, the volumes of night urine in the two groups were comparable. By the end of the study, there was no significant decrease in the volume of night urine in either of the groups. Two children in the treatment group and one in the non-treatment group became dry during the night in the course of the study. In conclusion, reflexology given as 14 treatment sessions over a period of four months did not result in a significant fall in enuresis nocturna in children aged seven to eleven years old. It must be concluded that the treatment result can not be distinguished from the conditions in the non-treatment group even though the average night diuresis in group one showed a slightly decreasing tendency while morning diuresis increased, in contrast to group two which exhibited a slight increase in night diuresis. As the total diuresis remained constant, this could be interpreted as an increased urinary bladder capacity, but in both cases the changes were far from significant.

Key Findings: what this pilot study found about urinary tract problems

  • ✓Reflexology treatment consisting of 14 sessions over four months did not produce a significant decrease in nocturnal urine volume in children aged 7-11 years with enuresis.
  • ✓The treatment group showed no statistically significant difference in outcomes compared to the non-treatment control group, with only 2 children in the treatment group becoming dry versus 1 in the control group.
  • ✓The study demonstrates that reflexology treatment results for nocturnal enuresis cannot be distinguished from spontaneous improvement observed in untreated controls.

What This Means for You

Based on this small, uncontrolled study, reflexology showed no clear benefit for childhood bedwetting compared to no treatment, so you should not rely on it as a primary treatment.

What This Means for Practitioners

This pilot study suggests reflexology may not be effective for nocturnal enuresis in children and highlights the need for larger, properly blinded trials before claiming therapeutic benefits for this condition.

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Urinary tract problems: common questions

What does this study say about urinary tract problems?

Based on this small, uncontrolled study, reflexology showed no clear benefit for childhood bedwetting compared to no treatment, so you should not rely on it as a primary treatment.

What did this study find?

Reflexology treatment consisting of 14 sessions over four months did not produce a significant decrease in nocturnal urine volume in children aged 7-11 years with enuresis. The treatment group showed no statistically significant difference in outcomes compared to the non-treatment control group, with only 2 children in the treatment group becoming dry versus 1 in the control group. The study demonstrates that reflexology treatment results for nocturnal enuresis cannot be distinguished from spontaneous improvement observed in untreated controls.

How strong is this evidence?

This is a pilot study and we rate its evidence limited. It was published in Ugeskrift for laeger. This study is indexed here for context; it did not test reflexology itself.

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