The Efficacy of Foot Massage for Pain Relief of Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy: A Meta-analysis Study

Abstract

Background:Foot massage may have some potential in improving pain relief in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy, and this meta-analysis aims to explore the impact of foot massage on pain control after laparoscopic cholecystectomy.Materials and Methods:PubMed, EMbase, Web of science, EBSCO, and Cochrane library databases were systematically searched, and we included randomized controlled trials assessing the effect of foot massage on pain control after laparoscopic cholecystectomy.Results:Five randomized controlled trials were included in the meta-analysis. Overall, compared with control intervention for laparoscopic cholecystectomy, foot massage was associated with significantly lower pain scores at 60 minutes [mean difference (MD)=−1.19; 95% CI=−2.01 to −0.38;P=0.004), pain scores at 90 minutes (MD=−1.41; 95% CI=−1.73 to −1.10;P<0.00001), pain scores at 120 to 150 minutes (MD=−2.20; 95% CI=−2.49 to −1.90;P<0.00001) and reduced need of additional analgesia (odd ratio=0.04; 95% CI=0.02-0.08;P<0.00001), but demonstrated no obvious effect on pain scores at 10 to 30 minutes (MD=−0.25; 95% CI=−0.79 to 0.29;P=0.37).Conclusions:Foot massage benefits to improve pain control after laparoscopic cholecystectomy.