PURPOSE This study was to identify the effects of self-foot reflexology on urinary incontinence symptoms, vaginal contraction and daily life discomfort of middle-aged women. METHOD: A quasi-experimental design was used. The subject were 39 middle-aged women with urinary incontinence, who were composed of 18 women in the experimental group, while 21 were in the control group. In the experimental group, self-foot reflexology was applied for 30 minutes, three times a week for 4 weeks. The obtained data were analyzed by using the Mann-Whitney U test of SPSS. RESULT: 1. Frequency(U=78.00, P=.001), amount(U=65.00, p=.001) and the situation score(U=81.00, P=.002)of urinary incontinence were reduced significantly in the experimental group as compared to the control group. 2. Maximum pressure(U=33.50, p=.000), mean pressure(U=38.00 p=.000) of vaginal contraction were improved significantly in the experimental group as compared to the control group. 3. Daily life discomfort in the experimental group was reduced whereas that of the control group was increased(U=63.00, p=.000) significantly. CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that self-foot reflexology is an effective method for reducing urinary incontinence symptoms and daily life discomfort and for increasing pressure of vaginal contraction of middle-aged women. Therefore self-foot reflexology can be considered as a independent nursing intervention for urinary incontinence.
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