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Effect of Reflexology on Pain and Sleep Disorders in Females With Fibromyalgia (REFLEX-FM)

3 juni 2026 uppdaterad av: Ghada Mahmoud Mohamed El-Hady Ismaeil, Cairo University

The Effect of Reflexology on Pain and Sleep Disorders in Females With Fibromyalgia: A Randomized Controlled Trial

This randomized controlled trial aims to investigate the effect of foot reflexology on pain and sleep disorders in Egyptian female patients with fibromyalgia. Sixty female participants aged 18 to 65 years diagnosed with fibromyalgia will be randomly assigned into two equal groups. The control group will receive conventional physical therapy, including aerobic exercise, resistance training, and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), while the experimental group will receive the same treatment in addition to foot reflexology. Interventions will be delivered twice weekly for six weeks. Pain, sleep quality, psychological distress, and functional activity will be evaluated at baseline and after treatment using validated Arabic assessment tools and pressure pain threshold measurements. The study aims to determine whether reflexology provides additional benefits when combined with conventional physical therapy in women with fibromyalgia.

Studieöversikt

Status

Rekrytering

Betingelser

Intervention / Behandling

Detaljerad beskrivning

Fibromyalgia is a chronic disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, sleep disturbances, and impaired quality of life. Women represent the majority of affected individuals, and many patients continue to experience persistent symptoms despite pharmacological treatment. Reflexology is a non-invasive complementary therapy involving pressure application to specific foot reflex zones and has been proposed as an adjunctive intervention for symptom management in fibromyalgia.

This study is a prospective single-blinded randomized controlled trial designed to evaluate the effect of reflexology on pain, sleep quality, psychological distress, and functional activity in female patients with fibromyalgia.

Sixty Egyptian female participants aged 18-65 years who meet fibromyalgia diagnostic criteria will be recruited and randomly allocated into two equal groups. The control group will receive conventional physical therapy consisting of aerobic exercise, resistance training, and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS). The experimental group will receive the same conventional physical therapy program in addition to foot reflexology.

Both groups will receive treatment twice weekly for six weeks. Outcome measures will be assessed at baseline and post-treatment and include pressure pain threshold using algometry, the Arabic Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire, Arabic Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Arabic Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and Arabic Short Form-36 Health Survey.

The study seeks to determine whether adding foot reflexology to conventional physical therapy improves pain, sleep quality, psychological status, and functional outcomes in women with fibromyalgia.

Studietyp

Interventionell

Inskrivning (Beräknad)

60

Fas

  • Inte tillämpbar

Kontakter och platser

Det här avsnittet innehåller kontaktuppgifter för dem som genomför studien och information om var denna studie genomförs.

Studiekontakt

Studieorter

  • Egypten
    • Dakahlia Governorate
      • Al Mansurah, Dakahlia Governorate, Egypten, 35744
        • Rekrytering
        • Dekernis General Hospital
        • Kontakt:
        • Huvudutredare:
          • Ghada M Mohamed El-Hady Ismaeil, BSc, PT

Deltagandekriterier

Forskare letar efter personer som passar en viss beskrivning, så kallade behörighetskriterier. Några exempel på dessa kriterier är en persons allmänna hälsotillstånd eller tidigare behandlingar.

Urvalskriterier

Åldrar som är berättigade till studier

  • Vuxen
  • Äldre vuxen

Tar emot friska volontärer

Nej

Beskrivning

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Egyptian female participants aged 18 to 65 years
  • Diagnosis of fibromyalgia according to American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria
  • Moderate pain intensity
  • Poor sleep quality
  • Ability and willingness to provide written informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Comorbid conditions affecting pain or sleep, including rheumatoid arthritis and related disorders
  • Previous reflexology treatment within the previous 6 months
  • Any medical condition preventing participation in physical therapy or reflexology intervention
  • Refusal or inability to comply with study procedures and follow-up requirements

Studieplan

Det här avsnittet ger detaljer om studieplanen, inklusive hur studien är utformad och vad studien mäter.

Hur är studien utformad?

Designdetaljer

  • Primärt syfte: Behandling
  • Tilldelning: Randomiserad
  • Interventionsmodell: Parallellt uppdrag
  • Maskning: Enda

Vapen och interventioner

Deltagargrupp / Arm
Intervention / Behandling
Aktiv komparator: Control Group
Participants will receive conventional physical therapy including aerobic exercise, resistance training, stretching exercises, and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) twice weekly for six weeks.
Övrig: Conventional Physical Therapy
Conventional physical therapy includes aerobic exercise, stretching, and low-load resistance training administered twice weekly for six weeks. Exercise programs will be individualized and progressively adjusted according to participant tolerance.
Enhet: Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS)
High-frequency TENS will be administered twice weekly for six weeks using conventional settings for pain management in fibromyalgia participants.
Experimentell: Experimental Group
Participants will receive conventional physical therapy in addition to foot reflexology twice weekly for six weeks. Conventional physical therapy includes aerobic exercise, resistance training, stretching exercises, and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS). Foot reflexology sessions will be conducted for 30 minutes per session following standardized reflexology protocols.
Övrig: Conventional Physical Therapy
Conventional physical therapy includes aerobic exercise, stretching, and low-load resistance training administered twice weekly for six weeks. Exercise programs will be individualized and progressively adjusted according to participant tolerance.
Enhet: Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS)
High-frequency TENS will be administered twice weekly for six weeks using conventional settings for pain management in fibromyalgia participants.
Beteende: Foot Reflexology
Foot reflexology will be delivered twice weekly for six weeks, with each session lasting 30 minutes. Moderate thumb and finger pressure will be applied bilaterally to standardized foot reflex zones associated with fibromyalgia symptom management.

Vad mäter studien?

Primära resultatmått

Resultatmått
Åtgärdsbeskrivning
Tidsram
Pressure Pain Threshold (PPT)
Tidsram: Baseline and 6 weeks
Pressure pain threshold will be assessed using a digital pressure algometer at predefined tender points. Three measurements will be obtained and averaged for analysis. Higher values indicate reduced pain sensitivity.
Baseline and 6 weeks
Fibromyalgia Symptom Impact (FIQ-A)
Tidsram: Baseline and 6 weeks
Fibromyalgia symptom impact will be assessed using the Arabic version of the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ-A). Scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating greater disease impact and symptom burden.
Baseline and 6 weeks

Sekundära resultatmått

Resultatmått
Åtgärdsbeskrivning
Tidsram
Sleep Quality (PSQI-A)
Tidsram: Baseline and 6 weeks
Sleep quality will be assessed using the Arabic version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI-A). The total score ranges from 0 to 21, with higher scores indicating poorer sleep quality and greater sleep disturbance.
Baseline and 6 weeks
Psychological Distress (HADS)
Tidsram: Baseline and 6 weeks
Psychological distress will be evaluated using the Arabic Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), including anxiety and depression subscales. Each subscale score ranges from 0 to 21 and the total score ranges from 0 to 42. Higher scores indicate greater psychological distress.
Baseline and 6 weeks
Functional Activity and Health-Related Quality of Life (SF-36v2)
Tidsram: Baseline and 6 weeks
Functional activity and health-related quality of life will be assessed using the Arabic version of the Short Form-36 Health Survey Version 2 (SF-36v2). Scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating better health status, physical functioning, and quality of life.
Baseline and 6 weeks

Samarbetspartners och utredare

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Sponsor

Cairo University

Publikationer och användbara länkar

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Allmänna publikationer

Studieavstämningsdatum

Dessa datum spårar framstegen för inlämningar av studieposter och sammanfattande resultat till ClinicalTrials.gov. Studieposter och rapporterade resultat granskas av National Library of Medicine (NLM) för att säkerställa att de uppfyller specifika kvalitetskontrollstandarder innan de publiceras på den offentliga webbplatsen.

Studera stora datum

Studiestart (Beräknad)

3 juni 2026

Primärt slutförande (Beräknad)

31 oktober 2026

Avslutad studie (Beräknad)

31 oktober 2026

Studieregistreringsdatum

Först inskickad

22 maj 2026

Först inskickad som uppfyllde QC-kriterierna

22 maj 2026

Första postat (Faktisk)

29 maj 2026

Uppdateringar av studier

Senaste uppdatering publicerad (Faktisk)

4 juni 2026

Senaste inskickade uppdateringen som uppfyllde QC-kriterierna

3 juni 2026

Senast verifierad

1 juni 2026

Mer information

Termer relaterade till denna studie

Nyckelord

Ytterligare relevanta MeSH-villkor

Andra studie-ID-nummer

  • FPT-CU-REFLEX-FM-2026
  • P.T.REC/012/006040 (Annan identifierare: Research Ethical Committee, Faculty of Physical Therapy, Cairo University)

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