Effectiveness of Foot Massage on Blood Pressure and Quality of Life in Pregnant Women with Preeclampsia

Background: Foot massage has been shown to enhance peripheral circulation, mechanically aid lymphatic and venous fluid displacement, and modify nerve, blood vessel, and cell structures in the exchange network. Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of foot massage on blood pressure and quality of life in pregnant women with preeclampsia. Methodology: This randomized controlled trial was conducted at the DHQ Teaching Hospital and Aziz Fatima Hospital, Faisalabad, in 4 months. About 28 participants were pregnant women aged between 25 and 35 years. The treatment group received a foot massage along with the continued hypertensives and the control group received medication only. The Quality of Life Questionnaire for Pregnancy was used to assess the quality of life before and after the treatment during pregnancy. Participants were divided into two groups by the lottery method. An even number of participants were added to the treatment group (Group A), and an odd number of participants were added to the control group (Group B). Foot massage consists of five techniques: effleurage, petrissage, tapotement, friction, and vibration, and is performed for 20 minutes per session, 10 minutes for each foot. Blood pressure was measured 15 minutes before and after the foot massage. The quantitative data were presented as means and standard deviations, while the qualitative data were reported as frequencies and percentages. A chi-square test was used to compare to observed results with the expected results. Statistical significances were determined at a significance level of p-value of 0.05. Results: The highest proportion of participants (39.3%) were in the 29 to 32 week range of gestation, while 10.7% were in the 39 to 40 week range. In terms of pregnancy status, a slight majority were primigravida (53.6%), with the remaining 46.4% being multigravida. Changes in blood pressure were assessed over six days of treatment using the Friedman test. Both the intervention and control groups showed significant reductions in blood pressure. Conclusion: Foot massage in combination with hypertensive medication was found to be a more effective treatment option to reduce blood pressure and improve quality of life in pregnant females with preeclampsia as compared to hypertensive medications alone.