| The effect of 8 weeks of foot reflexology massage on balance, plantar flexion and pain in young people with flat feet |
| Paper ID : 1779-SSRC-13TH |
|
Oral / Poster Presentation File |
| Authors: |
|
Fatemeh Shahriary1, Sajad Roshani *2, Ebrahim Mohammad Alinasab Firouzjah3 1فیزیولوژی و آسیب شناسی حرکت اصلاحی،دانشکده علوم ورزشی،دانشگاه ارومیه،ارومیه،ایران 2Department of Exercise Physiology and Corrective Exercise , Faculty of Sport Sciences , Urmia University , Urmia, Iran. 3فیزیولوژی و آسیب شناسی حرکات اصلاحی،استادیار،دانشکده علوم ورزشی,دانشگاه ارومیه،ارومیه،ایران |
| Abstract: |
| This study was aimed at investigating the impact of 8 weeks of foot reflexology massage on balance, plantar arch, and pain in girls aged 14 to 18 years with flat feet. This quasi-experimental study’s subjects included 30 girls (aged 15.1 ± 1.1 years, with height of 156.1 ± 2.4 cm, and weight of 47.3 ± 2.2 kg) with flat feet, voluntarily selected by available and random method, and after matching in terms of complication severity and anthropometric characteristics, assigned to two experimental and control groups of 15. Assessment of the plantar arch was done by the navicular drop test, dynamic balance was assessed by the Star Excursion Balance Test, static balance was assessed by balance error scoring test, and pain intensity was assessed by the visual analog scale (VAS). The program of foot reflexology massage included eight weeks (three sessions per week) of reflexology massage of the foot sole of the on all the soles of both feet. In each session, two to three relaxation techniques were employed based on the subject’s conditions for six minutes. The amount of plantar arch, static and dynamic balance, and pain intensity were measured in the subjects 24 hours before the onset and 24 hours after the end of the massage therapy protocol. Data were analyzed by dependent t-test and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) considering the first type error of α = 5%. The study findings revealed that eight weeks of foot reflexology massage significantly affected the static balance (P = 0.0001) and pain intensity (P = 0.0001) in young people with flat feet; and in contrast, no significant change was observed on the subjects’ plantar arch (P = 0.38) and dynamic balance (P = 0.36). In the end, the results indicated that foot reflexology massage positively affected the improvement of static balance and reduction of pain intensity in girls with flat feet. |
| Keywords: |
| Foot Reflexology Massage, Balance, Plantar Arch, Pain, Flatfoot |
| Status : Abstract Accepted (Poster Presentation) |
