The Effect of Reflexology versus Stroke Massage on Respiratory Symptoms in Patients with Bronchial Asthma

Bronchial asthma is a common chronic disease in adults. The lack of definitive treatment caused the patients with bronchial asthma to look for non-pharmacological interventions. One of these interventions is massage therapy. The present study was conducted with aim to compare the effect of reflexology versus stroke massage on respiratory symptoms in patients with bronchial asthma. This randomized controlled clinical trial study was conducted in 2020 on 120 patients with bronchial asthma referred to Shahid Muftah Clinic of Yasuj city. The participants were selected through non-probability sampling method and randomly assigned to three equal groups: reflexology, stroke massage, and control (n=40). Four sessions of interventions were performed. Respiratory symptoms were assessed using pulse oximetry, stethoscope, observation and respiratory exam before and after the interventions. Collected data were analyzed by SPSS software (version 21) and Chi-square and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) tests. p<0.05 was considered statistically significant. There was no significant difference among three groups in terms of mean score of arterial oxygen saturation (p=0.148) and respiratory rate (p=0.520) after the interventions. However, there were significant differences among three groups regarding mean score of respiratory symptoms, including daily cough (p=0.012), nocturnal cough (p=0.007), exertional dyspnea (p=0.034), exertional cough (p=0.024), and limited activity (p=0.037). These differences were observed between the two interventions groups and the control group, however, no significant differences were observed between the two intervention groups.Implications for Practice: Reflexology and stroke massage could similarly reduce respiratory symptoms of patients with bronchial asthma.