A study published in the Iranian Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Research investigated the effects of foot massage provided by a mother on the severity of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms in children.
The randomized controlled trial followed 56 children who had been referred to psychiatric clinics affiliated with a medical sciences university in Iran. The subjects were randomly divided into two groups. The subjects in the intervention group received foot massage from their mothers three times a week for one month. The mothers received massage therapy training before providing the massage. Data was collected using the ADHD questionnaire.
The foot massage intervention was shown to have a significant effect on several ADHD symptoms, including memory and attention deficit, lack of responsibility and organization, lack of cooperation with others, and the total score of symptom severity.
The study authors conclude that massage therapy is an affordable and low-cost care intervention that “together with pharmacotherapy programs can reduce some symptoms of ADHD.”
Read the abstract online at https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32724763/.