Effect of foot massage on upper extremity pain level and quality of life in women who had a mastectomy operation: A mixed-method study

Yeşil Demirci, PINAR; Taşcı, Sultan; Öztunç, GÜRSEL

doi:10.1016/j.eujim.2022.102160

Effect of foot massage on upper extremity pain level and quality of life in women who had a mastectomy operation: A mixed-method study

Atıf İçin Kopyala

Yeşil Demirci P., Taşcı S., Öztunç G.

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE, cilt.54, ss.1-12, 2022 (SCI-Expanded)

Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
Cilt numarası: 54
Basım Tarihi: 2022
Doi Numarası: 10.1016/j.eujim.2022.102160
Dergi Adı: EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE
Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, EMBASE
Sayfa Sayıları: ss.1-12
Çukurova Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Introduction

Pain after a mastectomy is one of the most common problems experienced by women with breast cancer. This study aimed to identify the effects of foot massage on upper extremity pain and quality of life in women with breast cancer who underwent a mastectomy.

Methods

This study employed a mixed-method design. The quantitative phase was conducted as a randomized controlled trial in which the intervention group received a series of foot massages and the control group received standard care. The qualitative phase consisted of semi-structured interviews conducted before the first follow-up with the participants in the intervention and control groups and at the end of the sixth follow-up with the intervention group.

Results

In comparison to the participants in the control group, the participants in the intervention group were found to have significantly lower mean VAS pain scores at the first, fourth, fifth, and sixth follow-ups. In addition, a significant difference was found between the intervention and control groups before and after the intervention regarding their quality of life.

Conclusion

The results of this study indicated that foot massage was effective in reducing pain, but less effective in improving the quality of life, in women with breast cancer who underwent a mastectomy.