Reflexology and Pain Management – Part 3

In previous posts in this series I have discussed the nature of pain, and how is evidence for the reflexology can be used for acute pain.  In this article I want to discuss reflexology and chronic pain, as back pain is the most common chronic pain and it effects 8 out of 10 people in their lifetime, I will focus on studies that have looked at chronic lower back pain.

An initial pilot study was carried out entitle Reflexology in the management of low back pain: a pilot randomised controlled trial by F Quinn, CM Hughes and GD Baxter.  the results of which was published (see Complement Ther Med. 2008 Feb;16(1):3-8. doi: 10.1016/j.ctim.2007.05.001. Epub 2007 Jun 27.)  Participants suffering from non-specific lower back pain were recurited and randomly assigned to a reflexology or sham group.  Each patient received either a 40 minute reflexology treatment or a sham treatment according to which group they were in once per week for 6 consecutive weeks.  The key measure of success was the measurement of pain on the visual analogue scale supplemented by the McGill pain questionnaire,  Roland-Morris disability questionnaire, and SF-36 health survey. Outcome measures were performed at baseline, week 6, week 12 and week 18.  The results incidicated that reflexology may have a positive effect on Lower Back Pain.

This initial trail was followed up by a more comprehensive study of times were nurses were the patients, nursing is in the top ten professions for high incidence of lower back pain.  Again this study was a double bind trial, and the same measurements of pain were used as in the trail. The study recruited 50 male and 50 female nurses with chronic lower back pain to take part in the trail.  40 minute sessions of reflexology or sham treatements were performed three times a week for two weeks.  The study concluded Reflexology can be effective in reducing the severity of chronic back pain, i.e. it is able to reduce pain from moderate to mild.  (see The Irainian Journal of Nursing Times (reference Iran J Nurs Midwifery Res. 2012 Mar-Apr; 17(3): 239–243.), focused on back pain in nurses)

In conclusion it is clear that while the number and size of the studies are small there is a clear trend which demonstrates the effectiveness of Reflexology in helping to reduce pain levels especially in cases of lower back pain.  Remember I offer a 15 minute taster Reflexology session for anyone who would like to try reflexology.

Related Posts

  • The scientific evidence base for Sports & Deep Tissue Massage

    I would like to write a series of blog articles on the scientific evidence for massage.  I think it is important to start by stating the obvious that while massage can be studied, not many scientists are interested in studying it and not many massage therapists have scientific training.  This means that massage is woefully under researched.  In addition it is amazingly difficult to find 100 people with the same problem, who need exactly the same massage treatment, so large scale studies are very rare, which means a weakness of most studies is their size. Finally, while, most scientists are interested in how massage works, we don't have to know how something works to know if it works.  I know most of my clients are interested in scientific evidence but equally important is anecdotal evidence, their own opinion and experience of the treatment. What it crystal clear from scientific data and widely agreed upon by massage therapist researchers is that massage

    1. Reduces anxiety
    2. Reduces depression
    3. Reduces stress
    4. Reduces high BP
    Given that in the Labour Force Survey in 2013 - 2014 it stated the total number of cases of work-related stress, depression or anxiety account for 39% of all work-related illnesses, this makes massage highly beneficial for anyone working in a high pressure corporate environment. Related Blog Posts http://vitalitytherapy.co.uk/blog/anxiety-reduction-massage http://vitalitytherapy.co.uk/blog/hypertension-part-4-massage References Moyer CA. Affective massage therapy.  Int J Ther Massage Bodywork 2008; 1(2): 3-5 Shulman KR, Jones GE. The effectiveness of massage therapy intervention on reducing anxiety in the work place. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science. 1996;32:160–173. Cady SH, Jones GE. Massage therapy as a work place intervention for reduction of stress. Perceptual & Motor Skills. 1997;84:157–158. Hernandez-Reif M, Field T. High blood pressure and associated symptoms were reduced by massage therapy.Journal of Bodywork & Movement Therapies. 1999;4:31–38.

  • How to change your life to boost your fertility

    There is plenty of evidence to show that lifestyle can have an impact on fertility.  Here are some tips to boost fertility based on scientific evidence: 1.Cut the caffine In one study, women who consumed a cup of coffee or more a day were half as likely to become pregnant, per menstrual cycle, as women who drank less than that. 2. Stop smoking 3. Avoid Alchol. Even moderate drinking (five or fewer drinks per week) has been linked to infertility. 4. Maintain a healthy weight. Being either excessively overweight or underweight can contribute to infertility in women. 5. Manage stress As infertile couples tend to be more stressed than fertile couples, relaxation techniques like meditation and yoga may help. References Wilcox A, Weinberg C, Baird D 1988 Caffeinated beverages and decreated fertility. Lancet. Dec 24-31;22(8626-8627):1453-6 Augood C, Duckitt K, Templeton AA, 1998 Smoking and female infertility: a systematic review and meta-analysis.  Human Reproduction Jun; 13(6):1532-9 Coelho C, Julio C, Silva G, Neves A 2009 Tabacco and male infertility: a retrospective study in infertile couples Acta Med Portuguese Nov-Dec; 22(6):753-8

    Jensen TK, Hjollund NH, Henriksen TB el al 1998 Does moderate alchol consumption affect fertility?  Follow up study amoung couples planning first pregnancy British Medical Journal Aug 22; 317(7157):505-10
    Green BB, Weiss NS, Daling JR 1988 Risk of ovulatory infertility in relation to body weight Fertil Steril Nov;50(5):721-6
    Khalsa HK 2003 Yoga: an adjunct to infertility treatment Fertil Steril Oct;80 Suppl 4:46-51

  • Can tackling the big questions in life make you less depressed and anxious?

    Mixed anxiety & depression is the most common mental disorder in Britain,and it estimates to cause one fifth of days off from work. Well according to researches if you prepared to tackle big questions in life e.g.

    • Is there a God?
    • Does life have a purpose?
    you will be less likely to suffer from anxiety and depression and better able to cope with emotions. Researches surveyed 307 people about their recent life experience and found those who wouldn't engage in the big questions of life suffered "more intense" bouts of depression and anxiety.  People seem to be more emotionally healthy if they're able to accept troubling insights. Looking at spiritual doubts in an objective way seems to help.  You may or may not work through them but you can at least tolerate having them.  Also ignoring the big questions could be symptomatic of a more general problem of avoidance and escapism, which can be harmful or even self-defeating when trying to achieve goals. So maybe now is the time to start tackling the big questions in life. References NICE (2011). Common mental health disorders | Guidance and guidelines | NICE. [online] Available at: http://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg123 Das-Munshi et al. (2008) cited in McManus S, Bebbington P, Jenkins R, Brugha T. (eds.) (2016) Mental health and wellbeing in England: Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey 2014. Leeds: NHS Digital [Accessed 5 Oct 2016] Available at: http://content.digital.nhs.uk/catalogue/PUB21748/apms-2014-full-rpt.pdf  Carmen K. Oemig Dworsky, Kenneth I. Pargament, Serena Wong, Julie J. Exline. Suppressing spiritual struggles: The role of experiential avoidance in mental health. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 2016; 5 (4): 258 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcbs.2016.10.002