Effects of foot reflexology massage on pregnant women: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled studies

Abstract

To explore the effects of foot reflexology massage on anxiety, pain, duration of labor, labor satisfaction, blood pressure, pulse rate and respiratory rate in pregnant women. We systematically searched eight databases for randomized controlled studies on the effects of foot reflexology massage on pregnant women. The inclusion criteria were as follow: participants were pregnant woman; the intervention is foot reflexology or foot massage; the control intervention is placebo, usual care, or no intervention; outcome indicators included pain, anxiety, birth satisfaction, duration of labor, blood pressure, pulse, and respiration; and study type was randomized controlled study. Studies that did not meet the above requirements were excluded. We assessed the quality of the included studies using the Physiotherapy Evidence Database scale, the risk of bias using the Risk of Bias 2.0 tool, and the level of evidence for the outcomes using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment Development and Evaluation. We used Review Manager 5.3 for data analysis and generated funnel plots to assess publication bias. In addition, sensitivity analysis was used to test the stability of the results. A total of 13 randomized controlled studies with 1189 participants were included in this study. Compared to the control group, foot reflexology massage reduced anxiety and pain in pregnant women, shortened the three stages of labor, and increased birth satisfaction. In addition, it also reduced the pulse rate and respiratory rate of pregnant women, but not for blood pressure. Foot reflexology massage can significantly reduce anxiety and pain, shorten the duration of labor, increase birth satisfaction, and stabilize vital signs in pregnant women. It is a safe and non-invasive form of complementary therapy.PROSPERO registered number: CRD42022359641. URL: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=359641.