The Effect of Foot Reflexotherapy on Acute Low Back Pain: A Pilot Study

摘要

Background: Foot reflexotherapy is a traditional complementary method applied in treatment of a lot of diseases and used to reduce pain in many health conditions. In the present study, the possible effects of foot reflexotherapy on acute low back pain usually secondary to intervertebral disc prolapse were investigated. Methods: Fourteen patients with acute low back pain included the study. The Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) was used to get pain scores. Pain scores were obtained 10 minutes before and after foot reflexotherapy. Results: The mean scores of acute low back pain in study group were 8.12 (SD=2.31) before and 4.34 (SD=1.92) after foot reflexotherapy. The decrease of pain scores between pre- and post-tests were statistically significant (p0.01). Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that foot reflexotherapy has therapeutic potential to apply in patients with non-specific acute low back pain.