Foot reflexology is a common complementary therapy for chronic conditions such as stress, pain and fatigue. Notably, there are trials investigated the efficacy of foot reflexology in relieving functional constipation. For instance, a recent meta-analysis including 7 randomised control trials (RCTs) suggested that foot reflexology significantly increased the curative ratio, with a pooled risk ratio of 1.27 (95% CI: 1.16-1.40, p < 0.00001) indicating that foot reflexology is effective in treating functional constipation. Nonetheless, RCTs with larger sample sizes are required to support the effectiveness of foot reflexology in reducing the recurrence rate, improving the constipation-related symptom, and compliance with toilet training, diet and motivation.

Keyword: Foot reflexology, functional constipation, toilet training, stool frequency

Reference:

Huang et al., Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2020 Aug;40:101198.