The Effect of Foot Reflexology on the Severity of Musculoskeletal Pain and Fatigue of Nursing Staff: A Clinical Trial Study

Document Type : Original Research

Authors

1 Nursing Care Research Center in Chronic Diseases, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran

2 School of Health, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran

Abstract

Background and Aim: Due to the nature of tasks, nursing is a job with a high prevalence of skeletal and muscular disorders, which increased skeletal muscle pain and fatigue. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of foot reflexology on the severity of skeletal and muscular pain and fatigue of nursing staff.
Methods: In this clinical trial study, all nurses in NEZAJA in the southwest of Iran (60 nurses) were selected between August and January 2017 according to the entry criteria and then randomly assigned to two groups of intervention and control. For the intervention group, according to the location of the pain, the foot reflexology protocol was administered during 9 sessions for 3 weeks and 3 sessions of 30 minutes per week. Data collection tools included a demographic information questionnaire, Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire, numerical scale of pain intensity and fatigue.
Results: The results of our study also showed that out of 9 parts of the body, the intensity of pain in the neck (P=<0.001), back (P=0.003), knees (P=0.010), feet (P=0.002), thigh (P=<0.001) and hand (P=<0.001) after reflexology was significantly reduced in the intervention group compared to the control group. Reflexology also reduced fatigue in the intervention group, but this reduction was not statistically significant compared to the control group (P=0.129).
Conclusion: The results showed that reflexology reduced the severity of musculoskeletal pain in some parts of the body and reduced fatigue. Therefore, it is recommended that foot reflexology be used as a simple and cost-effective method to reduce the severity of skeletal and muscular pain in nurses.

Keywords


Abdul Rahman H, Abdul-Mumin K, Naing L. Psychosocial factors, musculoskeletal disorders and work-related fatigue amongst nurses in Brunei: structural equation model approach. Int Emerg Nurs. 2017; 34:17-22. 2. Zamora-Macorra M, Reding-Bernal A, Martínez Alcántara S, de Los Ángeles Garrido González M. Musculoskeletal disorders and occupational demands in nurses at a tertiary care hospital in Mexico City. J Nursing Manag. 2019; 27(6):1084-90. 3. Ribeiro T, Serranheira F, Loureiro H. Work related musculoskeletal disorders in primary health care nurses. Appl Nurs Res. 2017; 33:72-7. 4. Zamanian Z, Norouzi F, Esfandiari Z, Rahgosai M, Hasan F, Kohnavard B. Assessment of the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders in nurses. Armaghane danesh. 2017; 21(10):976-86[Persian]. 5. Nasiry D, Javadi Kahriz E, Khalatbary AR. Musculoskeletal Disorders and Their Relationship with Burnout among Nurses; a Descriptive Analytical Study. Iranian Journal of Rehabilitation Research in Nursing. 2016;3(2):44-53[Persian]. 6. Sadeghian F, Coggon D, Ntani G, Hosseinzadeh S. Predictors of low back pain in a longitudinal study of Iranian nurses and office workers. Work . 2015; 51(2):239-44. 7. Shieh SH, Sung FC, Su CH, Tsai Y, Hsieh VC. Increased low back pain risk in nurses with high workload for patient care: A questionnaire survey. Taiwan J Obstet Gynecol. 2016; 55(4):525-9. 8. Eatough EM, Way JD, Chang CH. Understanding the link between psychosocial work stressors and work-related musculoskeletal complaints. Appl Ergon. 2012; 43(3):554-63. 9. Jaworek M, Marek T, Karwowski W, Andrzejczak C, M. Genaidy A. Burnout syndrome as a mediator for the effect of work-related factors on musculoskeletal complaints among hospital nurses. Int J Ind Ergon. 2010;40:368-75. 10. Heiden B, Weigl M, Angerer P, Muller A. Association of age and physical job demands with musculoskeletal disorders in nurses. Appl Ergon. 2013; 44(4):652-8. 11. Piranveyseh P, Motamedzade M, Osatuke K, Mohammadfam I, Moghimbeigi A, Soltanzadeh A, et al. Association between psychosocial, organizational and personal factors and prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders in office workers. Int J Occup Saf Ergon. 2016; 22(2):267-73. 12. Amin NA, Nordin R, Fatt QK, Noah RM, Oxley J. Relationship between psychosocial risk factors and work-related musculoskeletal disorders among public hospital nurses in Malaysia. Ann Occup Environ Med. 2014; 26(1):23. 13. Martinez-Calderon J, Zamora-Campos C, Navarro-Ledesma S, Luque-Suarez A. The Role of Self-Efficacy on the Prognosis of Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain: A Systematic Review. J Pain. 2018; 19(1):10-34. 14. Abdul Rahman H, Abdul-Mumin K, Naing L. Psychosocial Work Stressors, Work Fatigue, and Musculoskeletal Disorders: Comparison between Emergency and Critical Care Nurses in Brunei Public Hospitals. Asian Nurs Res. 2017;11(1):13-8. 15. Richardson A, McNoe B, Derrett S, Harcombe H. Interventions to prevent and reduce the impact of musculoskeletal injuries among nurses: A systematic review. Int J Nurs Stud. 2018; 82:58-67. 16. Kolthoff KL, Hickman SE. Compassion fatigue among nurses working with older adults. Geriatr Nurs. 2017;38(2):106-9. 17. Koras¸ K, Karabulut N. The Effect of Foot Massage on Postoperative Pain and Anxiety Levels in Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Experimental Study. J Perianesth Nurs. 2019; 34(3):551-8. 18. Close C, Sinclair M, Cullough JM, Liddle D, Hughes C. A pilot randomised controlled trial (RCT) investigating the effectiveness of reflexology for managing pregnancy low back and/or pelvic pain. Complemen Ther Clin Pract. 2016; 23:117-24. 19. Unal KS, Balci Akpinar R. The effect of foot reflexology and back massage on hemodialysis patients' fatigue and sleep quality. Complemen Ther Clin Pract. 2016;24:139-44. 20. Molavi Vardanjani M, Masoudi Alavi N, Razavi NS, Aghajani M, Azizi-Fini E, Vaghefi SM. A randomized-controlled trial examining the effects of reflexology on anxiety of patients undergoing coronary angiography. Nurs Midwifery Stud. 2013; 2(3):3-9. 21. Lalehgani H, Zahra Rafiei Z, Yarmohammadi P. The effect of foot reflexology massage on pain of patients undergoing lumbar disc surgery in Shahrekord hospitals. Journal of Clinical Nursing and Midwifery. 2018;7(1):19-27.[Persian] 22. Kurt S, Can G. Reflexology in the management of chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy: A pilot randomized controlled trial. Eur J Oncol Nurs. 2018; 32:12-9. 23. Ozdelikara A, Tan M. The effect of reflexology on the quality of life with breast cancer patients. Complemen Ther Clin Pract. 2017; 29:122-29. 24. Öztürk R, Sevil Ü, Sargin A, Yücebilgin MS. The effects of reflexology on anxiety and pain in patients after abdominal hysterectomy: A randomised controlled trial. Complement Ther Med. 2018; 36:107-12. 25. Bakir E, Samancioglu Baglama S, Gursoy S. The effects of reflexology on pain and sleep deprivation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: A randomized controlled trial. Complemen Ther Clin Pract. 2018; 31:315-9. 26. Kuorinka I, Jonsson B, Kilbom A, Vinterberg H, Biering-Sørensen F, Andersson G, et al. Standardised Nordic questionnaires for the analysis of musculoskeletal symptoms. Appl Ergon. 1987; 18(3):233-7. 27. Pugh JD, Gelder L, Williams AM, Twigg DE, Wilkinson AM, Blazevich AJ. Validity and reliability of an online extended version of the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ-E2) to measure nurses' fitness. J Clin Nurs. 2015; 24(23-24):3550-63. 28. Ozgoli G, Bathaiee A, Mirmohamad Ali H, Alavi Majd M. Musculoskeletal Symptoms AssessmentAmong Midwives, Hamedan, 2002. Iran Occupational Health Journal. 2006;3(1):37-42.[Persian]. 29. Halm M, Bailey C, St Pierre J, Boutin N, Rojo S, Shortt M, et al. Pilot Evaluation of a Functional Pain Assessment Scale. Clin Nurse Spec. 2019;33(1):12-21. 30. Miladinia M, Baraz S, Shariati A, Saki Malehi A. Effects of Slow-Stroke Back Massage on Symptom Cluster in Adult Patients With Acute Leukemia. Cancer Nurs. 2017;40(1):31-9. 31. Miladinia M, Baraz S, Ramezani M, Saki Malehi A. The relationship between pain, fatigue, sleep disorders and quality of life in adult patients with acute leukaemia: During the first year after diagnosis. Eur J Cancer Care. 2018;27:e12762 32. Brien K, Lukhele Z, Nhlapo JM, Pieterse A, Swanepoel A, Wagener L, et al. Work-related musculoskeletal disorders in nurses working in South African spinal cord rehabilitation units. International Journal of Africa Nursing Sciences. 2018; 8:107-11. 33. Dadarkhah A, Azema K, Abedi M. Prevalence of musculoskeletal pains among nursing staff in AJA hospitals-Tehran. Ebnesina - IRIAF Health Administration. 2013; 15(3):10-9[Persian]. 34. Babadi ME, Nazari F, Safari R, Abdoli S. The effect of reflexology on pain perception aspects in nurses with chronic low back pain in Isfahan. Iran J Nurs Midwifery Res. 2016; 21(5):487-92. 35. Quinn F, Hughes CM, Baxter GD. Reflexology in the management of low back pain: a pilot randomised controlled trial. Complement Ther Med . 2008; 16(1):3-8. 36. Dikmen HA, Terzioglu F. Effects of Reflexology and Progressive Muscle Relaxation on Pain, Fatigue, and Quality of Life during Chemotherapy in Gynecologic Cancer Patients. Pain Manag Nurs. 2019; 20(1):47-53. 37. Rigi F, shahnavazi m, Feizi a, Adineh H, Malekraisi noushirvan S. The effect of reflexology massage on the fatigue severity in women with multiple sclerosis. Nurs Midwifery J. 2017; 14(11):926-33[Persian]. 38. Izadpanah A, Sahbaei F, Shojaei F, Fesharaki M. Effect of Foot Reflexology on Fatigue in Women Admitted to Rama Spa Massage Service Center. Journal of Health and Care. 2012; 14(4):35-43[Persian]. 39. Bazazan A, Dianat I, Mombeini Z, Aynehchi A, Asghari Jafarabadi M. Fatigue as a mediator of the relationship between quality of life and mental health problems in hospital nurses. Accid Anal Prev. 2019; 126:31-6. 40. Gozuyesil E, Baser M. The effect of foot reflexology applied to women aged between 40 and 60 on vasomotor complaints and quality of life. Complemen Ther Clin Pract. 2016; 24:78-85.