Reflexology could offer pain relief similar to painkillers

A small study has shown that reflexology could be as effective as painkillers as a treatment for acute pain. A total of 15 people had two sessions of submerging their foot in ice water. In one session they had reflexology before they submerged their foot; in the other they believed they were receiving treatment from a TENS machine (but it was switched off).

 When the participants received reflexology, they had higher pain thresholds and tolerances than when they received the pretend TENS treatment. Reflexology resulted in 40% less pain, and people could withstand it for about 45% longer.

Publishing their work in Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, the authors suggest that reflexology could complement conventional treatments for painful conditions such as osteoarthritis.

“As we predicted, reflexology decreased pain sensations,” says Carol Samuel who led the study. “It is likely that reflexology works in a similar manner to acupuncture by causing the brain to release chemicals that lessen pain signals.”

The study is small and needs to be replicated in a wider population. But the start will go some way to increase the acceptance of reflexology by mainstream medicine.

“Complementary and alternative therapies come in for a lot of criticism, and many have never been properly tested scientifically,” says Ivor Ebenezer who co-authored the study. “One of the common criticisms by the scientific community is that these therapies are often not tested under properly controlled conditions,” says Mr Ebenezer.