Effects of reflexology lymphatic drainage on lymphoedema among patients post mastectomy

Background Breast Cancer Related Lymphoedema (BCRL) is one of the most common postoperative complications, especially after mastectomy. Since lymphoedema is essentially incurable, many patients ask for complementary therapy beyond diuretics use and treatment of the underlying disease. Reflexology lymphatic drainage (RLD) activates lymphatic zones on the feet with the aim of working with lymphatic and renal systems through identified areas on the feet, so RLD can improve lymphoedema. Aim To evaluate the effects of RLD on lymphoedema among patients post mastectomy. Design Pre-post repeated measures nonequivalent control group quasi-experimental design was used in the study. Sample A convenient sample of 60 female patients who were diagnosed as having unilateral lymphoedema postmastectomy who fulfill the inclusion criteria for a period of six consecutive months was recruited in the study and divided into study and control group 30/each. Tools Two tools were utilized to collect data pertinent to the study: (a) Personal and Medical Data Form(b) A nonstretch measurement tape to measure the circumference of both arms (affected and not affected). Results Based on the demonstrated value of the posttest measurements, there was a significant improvement in the study group for the affected arm circumferences (wrist, elbow, and axilla) compared with the control group, with P less than 0.05. For the nonaffected limb measurements, there were no significant differences between the study and control groups. Hence, these results indicate that RLD was effective in reducing the circumferences of the affected limbs in the study group, while the non-affected limbs remained relatively unchanged. Conclusion The RLD was considered to be a less invasive with low cost and had a substantial effect on reducing BCRL. Recommendations Conducting further studies to assess and compare long-term effect of using RLD with BCRL patients.