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  Background & Aim: Vascular events and strokes are third leading causes of death worldwide. There are also major causes of human morbidity. Various pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments are proposed to patients with stroke. The purpose of this study was to determine effect of foot reflexology, as a non-pharmacological procedure, on systolic and diastolic blood pressures in patients with stroke.

  Methods & Materials: In this clinical trial, 68 patients with stroke were selected and divided randomly into two experiment (n=34) and control (n=34) groups. Each patient in the experiment group received foot reflexology for 30 minutes. Data were recorded in the demographic and blood pressure record form. Data were analyzed using t-tests and ANOVAs in the SPSS-20. 

  Results: There were no significant differences between the mean systolic and diastolic blood pressures of patients in experiment and control groups at baseline. The blood pressure was significantly reduced among the experiment group after receiving the foot reflexology (P<0.05). The mean systolic blood pressure was significantly reduced in the experiment group after 10 and 30 minutes of massage and the diastolic blood pressure was reduced significantly in all measured times (P<0.05).

  Conclusion: Results showed positive effects of foot reflexology on reducing blood pressure in patients with stroke. Foot reflexology should be recommended as a supplement treatment in patients with stroke.

  

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Background & Aim: Vaccination is the most common painful procedure in childhood. This study aimed to compare the effect of Hugo point massage with and without ice on the injection-related pain of pentavalent vaccine in infants.
Methods & Materials: This study is a blind randomized clinical trial (IRCT2016052127982N1) conducted on 90 healthy, two-month old infants with normal weight, referred to Gonabad Fayazbakhsh health center to inject pentavalent vaccine in 2016. Infants were randomly assigned into three groups including 1) massage on Hugo’s point with ice 2) massage on Hugo’s point without ice and 3) control group. Data collection tool includes demographic information form and infant’s pain measurement tool. Data were analyzed using Chi-square test, Kruskal–Wallis test, analysis of variance and post-hoc Tukey HSD through the SPSS software version 16.
Results: There was no significant difference in pain intensity before vaccination between three groups. After vaccination, mean pain score for the first group was 7.70±1.26, for the second group was 8.03±1.06 and for the third group was 9.23±0.89. Also, crying duration in the first group was 35.03±23.12, in the second group was 40.39±21.62 and in the third group was 61.28±24.00. Both variables in the intervention groups were significantly lower compared to the control group (P<0.001) but there was no significant difference between the two intervention groups (P=0.586 and P=0.654).
Conclusion: Hugo’s point massage with and without ice can reduce the injection-related pain of pentavalent vaccine in infants and be used as a simple non-pharmaceutical method available to control vaccination pain.