The effects of reflexology on physical symptoms in women with multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis is a very complex and multi-faceted disease, without definitive treatment that often manifests with a variety of physical symptoms, therefore the present study aimed to determine the effects of Reflexology on fatigue and pain intensity in women with Multiple Sclerosis. This study is a single-blind randomized clinical trial that is done on 50 patients with multiple sclerosis referred to MS Clinic of Ayatollah Kashani Hospital (Isfahan, Iran). Participants were randomly assigned by minimization method into two groups: reflexology and control. In the experimental group, reflexology was performed within 4 weeks, twice a week for 40 minutes and the control group received medical treatment as directed by a physician. Data were collected through fatigue severity scale and numerical rating scale before, immediately after and two months after intervention in both groups. Data analysis was performed by Spss version 18 using descriptive and inferential statistic. Findings obtained from repeated measures analysis of variance showed that there was significant difference in terms of severity of fatigue and pain, at different times in experimental group (p<0.05), but this difference was not significant in the control group (p>0.05). Furthermore, t - test showed that there was no significant difference in the severity of fatigue and pain before the intervention between two groups (P>0.05), but there was significant difference immediately after and 2 months after intervention between two groups (P<0.05). The results showed that this intervention is effective in relieving fatigue and pain severity in patients with MS, so this method as an effective technique can be recommended.