Recovering from an injury or surgery often involves more than healing the affected body part. Stress, disrupted sleep, muscle tension, and the physical and emotional demands of rehabilitation can all influence how someone feels during recovery.
Many individuals choose reflexology as part of their overall wellness routine while participating in physical therapy or recovering from an injury or surgery. Reflexology is intended to complement—not replace—medical care, physical therapy, or other licensed healthcare services.
What Is Reflexology?
Reflexology is a complementary wellness practice that involves applying specific pressure techniques to areas of the feet (and sometimes the hands or outer ears). Unlike massage, reflexology follows a structured map of reflex areas and is commonly used to promote relaxation and support overall well-being.
Clients remain fully clothed during a session, with pressure adjusted to individual comfort.
How Is Reflexology Understood to Work?
Reflexology is based on the concept that specific areas of the feet correspond to different parts of the body. Gentle stimulation of these areas activates thousands of sensory receptors that continuously send information to the brain and spinal cord.
Researchers have explored several possible mechanisms through which reflexology may influence the body, including:
- Modulation of autonomic nervous system activity
- Reduction of physiological stress responses
- Changes in pain perception
- Relaxation-related nervous system responses
Functional MRI (fMRI) studies have also demonstrated that stimulation of specific reflex areas can activate predictable regions of the somatosensory cortex involved in sensory processing. While researchers continue to investigate how these brain responses relate to clinical outcomes, these findings suggest that reflexology influences central nervous system activity in measurable ways.
Reflexology Alongside Physical Therapy
Some individuals choose reflexology between physical therapy sessions as part of their overall wellness routine and report appreciating the opportunity to relax, particularly when experiencing:
- General muscle tension
- Stress-related tightness
- Fatigue during recovery
- Difficulty unwinding after activity
- Recovery following injury
- Recovery following surgery
- A desire for additional wellness support
Reflexology sessions focus on supporting overall well-being.
What Does the Research Say?
Clinical research has explored reflexology in musculoskeletal and rehabilitation settings, particularly among orthopedic populations.
Randomized controlled trials involving individuals recovering from total knee arthroplasty have reported improvements in pain, anxiety, movement-related fear (kinesiophobia), and aspects of mobility when reflexology was provided alongside standard postoperative care.
Studies involving people with knee osteoarthritis have also reported improvements in pain, physical function, range of motion, and fatigue. A recent randomized controlled trial in older adults likewise found reductions in pain and fatigue following foot reflexology.
The knee is one of the body’s largest and most mechanically complex joints, making it a common focus of orthopedic rehabilitation research. Although much of the orthopedic research has focused on the knee, these findings are encouraging because the neurophysiologic mechanisms currently being investigated—including autonomic nervous system regulation, relaxation responses, and changes in pain perception—are not specific to a single joint. Researchers continue to study whether similar effects extend to other orthopedic conditions.
Research involving individuals with fibromyalgia has also reported improvements in pain-related symptoms, comfort, and overall well-being. Some authors suggest these benefits may help support participation in rehabilitation and physical activity, although additional high-quality studies are needed.
Systematic reviews have likewise described measurable physiologic responses associated with reflexology, including changes in autonomic nervous system activity, stress-related physiologic markers, and pain perception. Researchers continue to investigate how these physiologic responses relate to clinical outcomes.
Overall, current research supports reflexology as a complementary wellness practice alongside orthopedic care and physical therapy. Reflexology is intended to complement—not replace—medical care or rehabilitation, and individual responses vary.
Is Reflexology a Substitute for Physical Therapy?
No.
Reflexology is not intended to replace physical therapy, medical treatment, or rehabilitation prescribed by your healthcare team.
If you are recovering from surgery or an injury, always follow the recommendations of your surgeon, physician, and physical therapist. Reflexology is intended to complement your existing treatment plan as part of your overall wellness routine.
References
Orthopedic Rehabilitation & Knee Osteoarthritis
Abdelaziz KS, Botla AM, Ebrahim HH, Gab AA. Effect of reflexology on knee osteoarthritis patients: A randomized clinical trial. World Journal of Sport Sciences. 2019;14(1):21–27.
Özbaş N, Şahan N, Aydın E. The effect of foot reflexology on pain and kinesiophobia in patients following total knee arthroplasty: A double-blind randomized controlled study. Orthopaedic Nursing. 2024;43(4):223–233.
Yılmaz Güven D, Bulut H. The effect of foot reflexology on pain, anxiety and mobility in patients with knee arthroplasty. Journal of Nursology. 2025;28(2):188–196.
Bakir E, Bağlama SS. The effect of foot reflexology and knee massage with black cumin seed oil on knee osteoarthritis symptoms. Holistic Nursing Practice. 2026;40(1):56–65.
Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain
Korhan A, Uyar M, Eyigör C, Yönt GH, Khorshid L. Effects of reflexology on pain in patients with fibromyalgia. Holistic Nursing Practice. 2016;30(6):351–359.
Gunnarsdottir TJ, Jonsdottir H. Effects of reflexology on fibromyalgia symptoms: A multiple case study. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice. 2010;16(3):167–172.
Physiology & Mechanism Studies
McCullough JEM, Liddle SD, Sinclair M, Close C, Hughes CM. The physiological and biochemical outcomes associated with a reflexology treatment: A systematic review. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 2014;2014:502123.
Nakamaru T, Miura N, Fukushima Y, Kawashima R. Somatotopical relationships between cortical activity and reflex areas in reflexology: An fMRI study. Neuroscience Letters. 2008;448(1):6–9.
Miura N, Akitsuki Y, Sekiguchi A, Nakamaru T, Ohkubo T, Kawashima R. Activity in the primary somatosensory cortex induced by reflexological stimulation is unaffected by pseudo-information: A functional magnetic resonance imaging study. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 2013;13:114.
Findings vary across populations and study designs. Research summaries are provided for educational purposes only.
Reflexology is used as a complementary wellness practice focused on supporting relaxation and overall well-being and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease.