Comparing the Effects of Three Methods of Foot Massage on Movement Performance, Risk of Falling, and Quality of Life (QoL) In Men With Blindness

 Weakness in receptors involved in proprioception can limit the range of motion of the ankle and knee, as one of the most important causes of lower limb movement disorder and the risk of falling. People with sensory disorders such as visual impairment, have limitations in performing daily activities, and their physical activity, muscle strength, cardiovascular endurance, balance, and athletic performance decrease. This study aims to compare the effects of three foot massage techniques on movement performance, risk of falling, and quality of life of visually impaired men, and assess the persistence of their effects.

 This is a quasi-experimental study with a pretest/posttest/follow-up design. Thirty men with blindness were randomly divided into three intervention groups including foot massage with a ball (n=10), foot massage with a brush (n=10), and foot massage with hands(n=10). They received foot massage for 21 days, massage day for 10 minutes (5 minutes for each foot). The Tinetti test was used to assess movement performance. The timed up & go test was used to measure the risk of falling, and the 36-item short form survey (SF-36) was used for evaluating the quality of life in the pretest, posttest, and follow-up (Short-term persistence) phases. One-way analysis of variance was used for between-group comparisons and repeated measures analysis of variance was used for within-group comparisons.

There was no significant difference among groups in the quality of life and the risk of falling. There was a significant difference among them only in movement performance, where the group received foot massage with hands had higher performance. The results of repeated measures analysis of variance for the factor of time showed that the three methods improved movement performance, quality of life and reduced the risk of falling. All three methods had a significant effect on the study variables (P<0.05).

 Three methods of foot massage have a significant effect on movement performance, risk of falling, and quality of life of men with blindness, by strengthening their proprioception receptors.