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Background Foot and hand massage may benefit to alleviate pain for laparoscopic cholecystectomy, and this meta-analysis is intended to study the influence of foot and hand massage on pain intensity after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Methods We systematically searched PubMed, EMbase, Web of science, EBSCO, and Cochrane library databases, and included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing the effect of foot and hand massage on postoperative pain of laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Results Six RCTs and 663 patients were included in the meta-analysis. Compared with control intervention for laparoscopic cholecystectomy, massage intervention resulted in significantly decreased pain scores at 60 min (SMD=–0.73; 95% CI=–1.27 to –0.19; P=0.008), pain scores at 90 min (SMD=–0.80; 95% CI=–1.23 to –0.37; P=0.0003), pain scores at 120–150 min (SMD=–1.74; 95% CI=–1.96 to –1.52; P<0.00001) and the need of additional analgesia (OR=0.04; 95% CI=0.02 to 0.07; P<0.00001), but demonstrated no influence on pain scores at 10–30 min (SMD=–0.14; 95% CI=–0.39 to 0.12; P=0.29). Conclusions Foot and hand massage may be able to reduce pain intensity after laparoscopic cholecystectomy.