The effects of reflexology on pain and sleep deprivation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: A randomized controlled trial

Abstract Objective This study was intended to examine the effect of foot reflexology on RA patients' pain and sleep quality. Methods This is a randomized controlled trial and was held at the “Rheumatology Follow-up Polyclinic” in Turkey between January–July 2015. A total of 60 patients were included in the research. A sociodemographic data form, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) were used. Foot Reflexology was administered to the experimental group. Results The research found that the pain scores of the experimental group were statistically more significant than those of the control group ( p Conclusions Foot reflexology is a non-pharmacological nursing intervention that may reduce the pain and sleep deprivation symptoms of RA patients.