Comparison of the effect and durability of foot massage methods on the balance of the blindness

Background and Aim:Weakness in the sensory-deep receptors of the sole of the foot is one of the important factors in lower limb movement disorders and balance in the blindness. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare the effect and durability of foot massage techniques on the balance of the blindness Methods:The present study was a one-way blind with a pretest-posttest design. The statistical sample consisted of 30 blind boys aged 20-30 years who were randomly divided into three groups of 10 people. The protocol of massage methods was performed on the samples for 21 days. Biodex balance system was used to evaluate the balance. The normality of the data was analyzed using Shapirowilk test and the analysis of variance with repeated measures was used to analyze the differences within the group and the ANOVA test was used to examine the differences between the groups at the significance level of 0.05. Results:The results of intra-group test showed that all three methods of foot massage improved static and dynamic balance in the blind (P <0.001). The results of ANOVA test for comparison between groups showed that there is no significant difference between the three methods of foot massage on static balance and posterior anterior index of dynamic surface and internal-external index of dynamic surface (P> 0.05) and only on the general surface index. There is a significant difference in the dynamics of hand massage compared to the other two massages (P <0.001). Conclusion:Due to the significant effect of foot massage methods on the balance of the blind, foot massage can be used as an effective factor in strengthening the sensory receptors of the foot and ultimately improving the balance of the blind.