The Application of Foot Reflexology for Anxiety and Pain Management in Women's Childbirth: A Literature Review

Abstract

Context: Uncontrolled childbirth anxiety (CA) and labor pain (LP) may cause negative consequences for the mother during subsequent deliveries. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of foot reflexology (F-REFL) on reducing LP and CA during childbirth in the form of a review study. Evidence Acquisition: In this literature review, the findings were collected by evaluating the results of previous similar studies in the last three decades. The most important and common medical subject headings (MeSH) terms related to the topic under discussion were identified to conduct this study. Then, the most relevant studies were searched, and 226 studies were identified at this stage by searching them in the most reliable and essential international databases, including Google Scholar, Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science. Considering the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 26 studies were identified to extract the results. Results: Most of the previous research studies were clinical trials, and their findings showed that F-REFL significantly reduces LP and CA. Conclusions: Foot reflexology has been shown to reduce LP and CA, making it an easy, cheap, and noninvasive method to reduce cesareans. Implementing this method is simple and does not require specialized personnel, and midwives can efficiently perform for mothers during childbirth. Additionally, reducing LP and CA experienced during birth through F-REFL improves women's positive birth experiences and protects postpartum mental health.