Reflexology can help decrease the pain of rheumatoid arthritis

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A small study on patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis comparing aromatherapy and reflexology, showed that both decreased pain and fatigue but that reflexology achieved the result faster.

Non-pharmacologic interventions for symptom management in patients with rheumatoid arthritis are under investigated. Limited data suggest that aromatherapy massage and reflexology may help to reduce pain and fatigue in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The aim of this study was to examine and compare the effects of aromatherapy massage and reflexology on pain and fatigue in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The study sample was randomly assigned to either an aromatherapy massage (n = 17), reflexology (n = 17) or the control group (n = 17). Aromatherapy massage was applied to both knees of subjects in the first intervention group for 30 minutes. Reflexology was administered to both feet of subjects in the second intervention group for 40 minutes during weekly home visits. Control group subjects received no intervention. Fifty-one subjects with rheumatoid arthritis were recruited from a university hospital rheumatology clinic in Turkey between July 2014 and January 2015 for this randomized controlled trial. Data were collected by personal information form, DAS28 index, Visual Analog Scale and Fatigue Severity Scale. Pain and fatigue scores were measured at baseline and within an hour after each intervention for 6 weeks. Pain and fatigue scores significantly decreased in the aromatherapy massage and reflexology groups compared with the control group (p < .05). The reflexology intervention started to decrease mean pain and fatigue scores earlier than aromatherapy massage (week 1 vs week 2 for pain, week 1 vs week 4 for fatigue) (p < .05). Aromatherapy massage and reflexology are simple and effective non-pharmacologic nursing interventions that can be used to help manage pain and fatigue in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Pain Manag Nurs. 2016 Apr;17(2):140-9. Epub 2016 Apr 16. The Effects of Aromatherapy Massage and Reflexology on Pain and Fatigue in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Gok Metin Z, Ozdemir L.

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