ArticleEvidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM2020
Effect of Foot Reflexology Intervention on Depression, Anxiety, and Sleep Quality in Adults: A Meta-Analysis and Metaregression of Randomized Controlled Trials.
Article in Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06407622 (The Effect of Foot Reflexology on Pain Intensity, Sleep Quality and Bowel Functions in Patients Undergoing Appendectomy Surgery), which is not on this map. Cited by 11 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
The Effect of Foot Reflexology on Pain Intensity, Sleep Quality and Bowel Functions in Patients Undergoing Appendectomy Surgery
Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 48 citations in OpenAlex.
- The effect of foot reflexology on fatigue in hemodialysis patients: a meta-analysis study.Revista latino-americana de enfermagem · 2023Pooled it
- Self-reported poor quality of sleep in solid organ transplant: A systematic review.Transplantation reviews (Orlando, Fla.) · 2021Pooled it
- The Effect of Foot Reflexology on Sleep Quality in Patients With Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Under Chemotherapy: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Health science reports · 2025Article
- Is it possible to foot reflexology for infants with sensorineural hearing loss?World journal of clinical cases · 2025Article
- Depression and Anxiety in 336 Elective Orthopedic Patients.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Article
- Comparing the effects of warm footbath and foot reflexology on depression of patients undergoing radiotherapy: A randomized clinical trial.Technical innovations & patient support in radiation oncology · 2024Article
- Comparing the influence of foot reflexology and fasting mimicking diet on quality of life and sleep quality in obesity hypoventilation syndrome.Journal of complementary & integrative medicine · 2023Article
- Investigation on Musculoskeletal Injury and Psychological Empowerment of Reflexologists in Taiwan: Analysis of the Recognition to Alternative Therapy.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Effect of Foot Reflexology on Sexual Function of Patients under Hemodialysis: A Randomized Parallel Controlled Clinical Trial.Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2021Article
- Efficacy and safety of massage in the treatment of post-stroke insomnia: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.Medicine · 2020Article
- Comparison of the Impacts of Benson Relaxation Technique and Foot Reflexology Massage on Sleep Quality of Patients with Systolic Heart Failure: A Randomized Clinical Trial.Iranian journal of nursing and midwifery researchArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 5 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesThe aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review, meta-analysis, and metaregression to determine the current best available evidence of the efficacy and safety of foot reflexology for adult depression, anxiety, and sleep quality.
methodsElectronic databases (PubMed, ClinicalKey, ScienceDirect, EMBASE, PsycINFO, and the Cochrane Library) were searched till August, 10, 2020, and the validity of the eligible studies was critically appraised. Randomized controlled trials comparing foot reflexology groups with control groups for adult depression, anxiety, and sleep quality were included. Twenty-six eligible studies were included to assess the effect of foot reflexology intervention on the reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety and improving quality of sleep, respectively, as the primary outcome.
resultsTwenty-six randomized controlled trials involving 2,366 participants met the inclusion criteria. The meta-analyses showed that foot reflexology intervention significantly improved adult depression (Hedges'
conclusionsFoot reflexology may provide additional nonpharmacotherapy intervention for adults suffering from depression, anxiety, or sleep disturbance. However, high quality and rigorous design RCTs in specific population, along with an increase in participants, and a long-term follow-up are recommended in the future.
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.