Clinical Study: Effects of foot reflexology on fatigue, sleep and pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Research:
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of foot reflexology on fatigue, sleep and pain. A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted. Electronic database and manual searches were conducted on all published studies reporting the effects of foot reflexology on fatigue, sleep, and pain. Forty-four studies were eligible including 15 studies associated with fatigue, 18 with sleep, and 11 with pain. The effects of foot reflexology were analyzed using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis Version 2.0. The homogeneity and the fail-safe N were calculated. Moreover, a funnel plot was used to assess publication bias.
Results:
Foot reflexology had a larger effect on fatigue and sleep and a smaller effect on pain. This meta-analysis indicates that foot reflexology is a useful nursing intervention to relieve fatigue and to promote sleep.