Evaluation of the effect of reflexology massage on severity of pain after abdominal surgery

Pain caused by surgery is one of the major problems of patients. Therefore, pain reduction using noninvasive and simple methods is one of the nursing priorities. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of reflexology massage on pain intensity in patients after abdominal surgery.
In this clinical trial, 90 patients undergoing abdominal surgery, who referred to Imam Khomeini Hospital in Tehran, Iran, 2016, were selected using purposive sampling. The participants were randomly divided into three groups of 30. Reflexology massage and simple massage were applied by the researcher in the form of a 30-minute session for the first and second groups after transferring the patients to the ward and regaining full consciousness. Pain was measured immediately, 10 minutes, and 24 hours after the massage (30 minutes after the pre-test) using visual analogue scale. Data analysis was performed in SPSS, version 19, using Chi-square, One-way analysis of variance, and repeated measures ANOVA.
The mean pain score 24 hours after the intervention decreased more in foot reflexology group (1.9±1.6) compared to the simple massage (3.3±1.64) and control group (3.8±02) (p According to the results of this study, reflexology massage could alleviate pain in patients after abdominal surgery. Given the simple and non-invasive nature of this method, it could be used to reduce pain in patients, along with other healthcare measures.