The Effects of Foot Reflexology on Pain and Depression of Middle-aged Women with Osteoarthritis

The Effects of Foot Reflexology on Pain and Depression of Middle-aged Women with Osteoarthritis
Oh, Hyun-Sook ; Ahn, Seong-Ah ; 

Purpose: This study was to examine the effects of foot reflexology on pain and depression of middle-aged women with Osteoarthritis

Method: The subjects were 41 osteoarthritis patients resided in the Jinju city from March to May, 2005. The foot reflexology was applied to the experimental group 3 times a week for 4 weeks, 30 minutes eachs. For the data analysis,  -test was conducted to verify the homogeneity of general characteristics, and t-test was done to verify the homogeneity of pain and depression. To examine the relative efficacy of the intervention, t-test, paired t-test and repeated measures ANOVA were conducted.

Results: After foot reflexology, the subjects in experimental group showed significant improvement in pain (F=155.77, p=.000) and depression ((F=20.00, p=.000).

Conclusion: The results suggest that the foot reflexology is effective in relieving of pain and depression. Therefore, it is necessary to develop foot reflexology as an independent nursing intervention

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