The effect of foot reflexology on pain intensity and disability of patients with chronic low back pain in physiotherapy unit of Baqiyatallah hospital

Background and Objective: Low back pain is one of the very common problems in communities which has the negative effects on different aspects of the patients’lives. Foot reflexology reduces pain and disability. This study was done to determine the effect of foot reflexology on pain and disability in patients with low back pain. Materials and Method: This clinical trail study was conducted on 150 men with low back pain who referred to Baqiyatallah hospital in Tehran. They were selected based on purposive sampling. They were divided into three groups: intervention (foot reflexology was done in real location in three sessions every other week), control (without any intervention) and placebo (low pressure of foot reflexology was done in all location in three sessions every other week). The data were collected by Roland- Morris disability questionnaire, visual analog scale and Mc-gill questionnaire. For analysis of data, SPSS15, Kruskal- Wallis, X2, one- way ANOVA and repeated measures ANOVA tests were used. Results: The results indicated that there were no significant differences in the mean of pain, disability, pulse, blood pressure and breath before intervention in 3 groups (P>0/05) but after intervention the mean of the all variables reduced in three groups (P<0/05). Conclusion: This study showed that foot reflexology affected the reduction of disability and pain intensity. Therefore, it is recommended that nurses use foot reflexology for reduction of disability in patients with low back pain.