Changes in cerebral functional connectivity following a session of foot reflexology during a randomized controlled trial

In this research study, to shed light on the specific effects and mechanisms underlying foot reflexology, the resting-state functional connectivity of different brain networks and various electro-physiological and well-being measures were studied. For this purpose, a brief foot reflexology session was carried out in a population of healthy volunteers, in comparison with a fictitious massage session (control). Following both interventions, this study showed a group-independent change in functional connectivity in the default mode network, the sensorimotor network, and a newly proposed pain-related network. Improvements in various biological parameters and in subjects’ subjective well-being were also found after both foot reflexology and massage, suggesting the overall therapeutic effect of non-medicinal interventions. These results are promising for future studies on patient populations.