# Reflexology

Source: https://onco.cc/technologies/reflexology-cancer/  
OnCo record `reflexology-cancer` (Technology). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

Reflexology is foot massage guided by a map of the body that has no anatomical basis. Small trials report short-lived relaxation and pain relief similar to any gentle foot massage; guidelines list it as an option for pain only with low confidence.

## Summary

Reflexology applies pressure to zones on the feet or hands said to correspond to organs. The underlying map has no anatomical or physiological support, but the practice is essentially a structured foot massage and randomised trials in breast cancer report small short-term reductions in pain, anxiety and fatigue compared with usual care, without clear advantage over ordinary foot massage. The 2022 SIO-ASCO pain guideline says reflexology or acupressure may be offered for general cancer pain, a weak recommendation on low-certainty evidence; the SIO breast guideline grades it as an option for quality of life. It is safe with the same precautions as massage (neuropathy, foot wounds, deep vein thrombosis).

## Fields

- Kind: Technology
- Status: emerging
- Last checked: 2026-09-10
- Tags: complementary; supportive-care; evidence:insufficient
- Principle: Any effect is best explained by the general relaxation and attention effects of touch rather than by the claimed organ correspondences.
- Strengths: Safe, relaxing; Weak SIO-ASCO 2022 mention for general pain
- Limitations: No plausible specific mechanism; Not superior to ordinary foot massage; Small unblinded trials

## Sources

- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reflexology
- SIO-ASCO guideline: integrative medicine for pain management in oncology (JCO 2022): https://doi.org/10.1200/JCO.22.01357
- SIO clinical practice guideline: integrative therapies during and after breast cancer treatment (CA Cancer J Clin 2017): https://doi.org/10.3322/caac.21397

## Connected records

- fronts: [Supportive Care & Survivorship](https://onco.cc/fronts/supportive-care/)
- technologies: [Compression, decongestive therapy and exercise for lymphoedema](https://onco.cc/technologies/lymphoedema-decongestive-therapy/), [Evidence-based integrative oncology](https://onco.cc/technologies/integrative-oncology/), [Massage therapy in cancer care](https://onco.cc/technologies/massage-therapy-cancer/)
- bottlenecks: [Toxicity and quality of life are undervalued](https://onco.cc/bottlenecks/b-toxicity-qol/)
- key papers: [Clinical practice guidelines on the evidence-based use of integrative therapies during and after breast cancer treatment](https://onco.cc/key-papers/paper-greenlee-ca-cancer-j-clin/), [Integrative Medicine for Pain Management in Oncology: Society for Integrative Oncology-ASCO Guideline](https://onco.cc/key-papers/paper-mao-j-clin-oncol/)

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