ABSTRACT
Background and Purpose: Appendicitis is the most common cause of acute abdomen in the world, and like other surgical procedures, the postoperative pain is one of the most common problems. Nowadays people tend to use non-drug methods and alternative medicine for reducing the effects of drug side effects. Reflexology is one of these treatments which can reduce pain and stress by applying pressure on a specialized area of the hands, feet and ears. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of Reflexology massage on pain relief after appendectomy surgery.
Materials and Methods: This critical trial study has performed in the emergency department of the Imam Reza Hospital, in Mashhad in 1392. Pain level and analgesic intake of 105 patients were compared in three groups before, immediately, one, six and 24 hours after treatment. In intervention group a specific area in the right leg and Shenman part of the ear was pressed for ten and one minute respectively. In the control group the pressure was applied on the back of left foot and right earlobe. Patients in the control group received only routine care. The results were evaluated at 95% confidence level. Data analysis was performed with SPSS 21 software.
The results: The difference of mean pain level at baseline was not statistically significant in the different groups [P=0/430], but after the reflexology message there was a significant difference between the amount of pain in intervention group compared with two other groups [P
Conclusion: Reflexology is an effective method for pain relief of patients after appendectomy surgery and it is recommended nurses to apply this method for reducing pain of these patients.