The Effect of foot sole reflexology on the fatigue in the first half of pregnancy: A randomized clinical trial

Background & aim: Fatigue is one of the most common complaints among pregnant women. Reflexology can be used to reduce the symptoms of fatigue.The purpose of this study was to measure the impact of foot sole reflexology on the intensity of fatigue in the first half of pregnancy. Methods: This randomized clinical trial was conducted on 73 pregnant women with 8-20 gestational weeks who referred to urban health centers, Mashhad, Iran in 2018. The participants were randomly assigned to two groups of foot sole reflexology (n=36) and control (n=37) using a random number table. In the intervention group, in addition to routine care, foot sole reflexology was daily administered through a 20-minute session for 4 days. The control group only received routine care. The checklist of fatigue symptoms was daily completed by both groups up to seven day. The data were analyzed by SPSS software (version 25) using the Mann-Whitney U test, independent t-test, and analysis of covariance. Results: The results showed that although the mean score of severity of fatigue after the intervention decreased in both groups, compared to those reported before the intervention, there was no significant difference between the two groups (P=0.87). Conclusion: In this study, foot sole reflexology did not reduce fatigue in the first half of pregnancy. However, as most pregnant women reported more relaxation in the reflexology group than the control group, further research in this topic is recommended in the future.