Impact of Foot Reflexology on Nausea After Obesity Surgery

NCT07313293 | Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: CHD25_0097
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 60
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Obesity is a major public health issue. The Obépi epidemiological survey, the results of which were published in 2020, shows a steady increase in obesity among the French population. Currently, more than 23 million French people are overweight or obese, and more than 8 million French people are obese. The most effective treatment currently available is surgery. These procedures are governed by specific recommendations. Between 50,000 and 60,000 procedures are performed in France each year. Three procedures are authorised: gastric banding, sleeve gastrectomy and gastric bypass. Hallyday \& al report 65% of patients experiencing nausea/vomiting after bariatric surgery. In 2019, Suh \& al showed that nausea and vomiting were more common after sleeve gastrectomy and that they were responsible for an increase in the length of hospitalisation. These episodes of nausea and vomiting occur within 48 hours after sleeve gastrectomy and can cause difficulties in resuming eating. One of the factors contributing to the occurrence of nausea and vomiting was the use of opioids. The benefits of foot reflexology were reported in 2023 by Dr Carrazé in rectal surgery. His doctoral thesis in medicine showed that foot reflexology sessions on days 1, 2 and 3 following rectal surgery reduced post-operative ileus and post-operative pain. The reduction in post-operative ileus led to a decrease in episodes of nausea and vomiting. In 2021, Murat-Ringot \& al demonstrated the beneficial effect of foot reflexology on nausea and vomiting during chemotherapy sessions, in addition to the anti-emetic treatments used for prevention. Anderson \& al. in 2021 also demonstrated a beneficial effect on pain in cancer patients, with no effect on nausea. The principle of foot reflexology is based on the fact that each organ, gland or part of the body corresponds to a reflex zone on the foot, hand, ears or face. Stimulation of the reflex zones is thought to activate the autonomic nervous system. Currently, there is very little scientific evidence on how this practice works and what its effects are. Despite various scientific publications on the results of foot reflexology, scientific evidence of its effectiveness remains weak. Only one prospective randomised trial has been found in the literature (Dalal \& al.) on the quality of life of patients with epilepsy. Despite the lack of high-quality studies, it appears that foot reflexology could benefit patients by reducing nausea and vomiting. To date, no studies have evaluated its effectiveness in the post-operative period, particularly after bariatric surgery. The aim of our randomised trial is to evaluate the impact of foot reflexology on nausea and vomiting after sleeve gastrectomy.

Conditions

Sleeve Gastrectomy

Keywords

foot reflexology

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Number of patients experiencing significant nausea and/or vomiting (with a score ≥ 3 on a numerical scale of 0 to 10) within 24 hours post-operatively

  A score of ≥ 3 corresponds to the introduction of treatment.

  24 hours post-operatively

Study Arms (2)

Conventional care alone

NO INTERVENTION

Conventional care + foot reflexology

EXPERIMENTAL

Other: Foot reflexology

Interventions

Foot reflexology OTHER

Foot reflexology sessions to: * Prepare the body and mind for surgery * Promote physical and nervous relaxation * Relieve post-operative nausea and vomiting

Conventional care + foot reflexology

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Adult patient
• Patient scheduled to undergo sleeve gastrectomy
• Patient capable of understanding the protocol and having given their informed verbal consent to participate in the study
• Patient affiliated with the social security system or entitled to benefits

You may not qualify if:

• Patients receiving long-term morphine and opioid treatment
• Patients with phlebitis, a wound under the foot, or recent foot trauma (cast immobilisation, splint, etc.)
• Patients under guardianship, curatorship, or deprived of their liberty
• Patients who are pregnant, breastfeeding, or refusing contraception
• Patients participating in another clinical research protocol that has an impact on the objective of the study
• Patients under an activated future protection mandate
• Patients under family authorisation
• Patients under judicial protection

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Centre Hospitalier Departemental Vendee: lead

Study Sites (1)

Centre Hospitalier Départemental Vendée

La Roche-sur-Yon, 85000, France

RECRUITING

Related Publications (5)

• Dalal K, Devarajan E, Pandey RM, Subbiah V, Tripathi M. Role of reflexology and antiepileptic drugs in managing intractable epilepsy--a randomized controlled trial. Forsch Komplementmed. 2013;20(2):104-11. doi: 10.1159/000350047. Epub 2013 Apr 15.

  PMID: 23636029 BACKGROUND

• Anderson KD, Downey M. Foot Reflexology: An Intervention for Pain and Nausea Among Inpatients With Cancer. Clin J Oncol Nurs. 2021 Oct 1;25(5):539-545. doi: 10.1188/21.CJON.539-545.

  PMID: 34533507 BACKGROUND

• Murat-Ringot A, Souquet PJ, Subtil F, Boutitie F, Preau M, Piriou V. The Effect of Foot Reflexology on Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting in Patients With Digestive or Lung Cancer: Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Cancer. 2021 Nov 5;7(4):e25648. doi: 10.2196/25648.

  PMID: 34738909 BACKGROUND

• Suh S, Helm M, Kindel TL, Goldblatt MI, Gould JC, Higgins RM. The impact of nausea on post-operative outcomes in bariatric surgery patients. Surg Endosc. 2020 Jul;34(7):3085-3091. doi: 10.1007/s00464-019-07058-5. Epub 2019 Aug 6.

  PMID: 31388805 BACKGROUND

• Halliday TA, Sundqvist J, Hultin M, Wallden J. Post-operative nausea and vomiting in bariatric surgery patients: an observational study. Acta Anaesthesiol Scand. 2017 May;61(5):471-479. doi: 10.1111/aas.12884.

  PMID: 28374473 BACKGROUND

Study Officials

• Emeric ABET

  Centre Hospitalier Departemental Vendee

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Chloé MOREAU

CONTACT

251446327; chloe.moreau@ght85.fr

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: SUPPORTIVE CARE
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: December 17, 2025
• First Posted: December 31, 2025
• Study Start: April 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): April 2, 2028
• Study Completion (Estimated): July 3, 2028
• Last Updated: April 2, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-04

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

FR (1)