Low Back Pain
Conditions
Keywords
foot reflexology, pain intensity, health-related quality of life
Brief summary
The aim of this study was to investigate whether the eight therapy session with foot reflexology can reduce pain intensity when applied as an addition to the standards care of low back pain according to the Malaysian low back pain management guidelines.
Detailed description
Low back pain is a common health complaint in most societies. Many treatments for low back pain aim to reduce suffering quicken recovery and minimize recurrence or development of chronic disability. However, low back pain continues as a societal enigma. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the eight therapy session with foot reflexology can reduce pain intensity when applied as an addition to standards care of low back pain according to the Malaysian low back pain management guidelines. Analysis of health-related quality of life will also be carried out.
Interventions
OTHERfoot reflexology therapy
standard care and foot reflexology
Sponsors
Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
SCREENING
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Have been medically diagnosed with a non-specific low back pain. * Have not received treatment for low back pain within the previous 2 weeks. * Are at least 18 years old. * Have both feet and all toes intact and free from wounds. * Have not undergone any other complementary and alternative therapies during the study.
Exclusion criteria
* Have severe coexistent disease and serious pathology or systemic illness. * Have a specific diagnosed cause of back pain (infection, tumour, osteoporosis, fracture, an inflammatory condition or cauda equine syndrome). * Have plantar fasciitis. * Lack the ability to read and write Malaysia language. * Had plans to move out of the area.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| mean time in days to the recovery of pain | 5 months | the mean time in days to the recovery of pain is measured at the first day the patient scores 0 to 10 point on the visual analog scale (VAS) |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| demographic information | 3 month | demographic information including age, ethnicity, marital status, educational level, weight, height, household monthly income, smoking status, alcohol consumption, co-morbid disease and categories of low back pain. |
| side effects of treatment | 5 month | reporting of possible side effects of the treatment, both reflexology and medication |
| health-related quality of life | 5 months | measuring mean of health-related quality of life using Euro-quality of life 5D questionnaire before and after intervention |
Outcome results
None listed