The Effect of Foot Reflexology on Infantile Colic Symptoms

Akdeniz University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Infantile Colic; Reflexology

Treatments: Other: Placebo Foot Reflexology; Other: Foot Reflexology

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT03939611

AkdenizUniversity

Details and patient eligibility

About

Aim: To compare the effect of foot reflexology and placebo foot reflexology on colic symptoms such as pain, ineffective sleep, and colicky crying periods in infants with colic.

Method: The study was conducted as a single-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial in a child hospital between June 2016 and March 2017. To start with, 20 infants with colic were randomly selected for the reflexology group, and 25 babies with colic were randomly selected for the placebo group. Simple randomization was used; the parents and statistician were blinded to group assessment. The researcher could not be blinded because of the role played in the study. Foot reflexology was implemented with reflexology-group infants. Placebo foot reflexology was used with placebo-group infants. Both interventions were performed four times, for 20 minutes, each, by the researcher over the course of two weeks. The data were collected by the researcher using the information form, infantile colic scale, behavioral pain scale, crying and sleeping follow-up forms.

Enrollment: 45 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 1 to 3 months old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

Infants were included who were aged 1-3 months, Infants who were diagnosed IC by a pediatrician according to Wessel's rule of threes.

Exclusion Criteria (Beckmann & Le Quesne, 2005):

Infants who were using any of analgesic drug until 3 hours before the applications and antibiotic or steroid due to treating an illness, Infants who had an acute fever, musculoskeletal disease, active shingles or infection, acute shingles, or tissue in the foot and joint, All infants with any non-IC health problems.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Supportive Care

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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45 participants in 2 patient groups, including a placebo group

Foot Reflexology Group

Experimental group

Description:

Foot reflexology was performed to the reflexology group infants. Foot reflexology application (FRA) involved relaxation for the first 3-5 minutes and the last 2 minutes; the remaining 12-15 minutes included stimulation of the brain and digestive system organs. To ensure relaxation, rotation was performed by using the thumbs of the hand under the feet, cephalocaudally. The session of FRA included stimulating the brain and medulla spinalis (2 min), the solar plexus (1min), the stomach (2min), the liver (2min), the pancreas (2min), the gallbladder (1min), and the ileocecal valve and intestine (5min) reflex points. Application was performed on all infants twice a week, for a total of four times during two consecutive weeks. Between two consecutive applications, a minimum of 48 hours and a maximum of 5 days was allotted (Stone, 2011). A total of 6 follow-ups were performed during the study period.

Treatment:

Other: Foot Reflexology

Placebo Foot Reflexology Group

Placebo Comparator group

Description:

Placebo foot reflexology was performed to the placebo group infants. Placebo foot reflexology application (PFRA) was constrained to ineffective touch without any stimulation and pressure. The aim of the PFRA was to create only a touch effect. It was applied by patted the foot by using the thumbs of the hand, for 20 minutes with the same rotation and to the same points as FRA. Application was performed on all infants twice a week, for a total of four times during two consecutive weeks. Between two consecutive applications, a minimum of 48 hours and a maximum of 5 days was allotted (Stone, 2011). A total of 6 follow-ups were performed during the study period.

Treatment:

Other: Placebo Foot Reflexology