The Effect of Foot Massage With a Massage Roller on Chemotherapy-Related Neuropathic Pain

Overview

Chemotherapy-related neuropathic pain is experienced by 30-40% of cancer patients. This pain significantly reduces the quality of life and overall well-being of patients battling cancer. Studies widely acknowledge that standardizing neuropathic pain assessment leads to improved patient outcomes. Our project, which we believe will add a different dimension to nursing care for cancer patients, aims to reduce chemotherapy-related neuropathic pain experienced by cancer patients through foot massage. The study population will consist of male and female cancer patients with chemotherapy-related neuropathic pain (VAS ≥ 4/10), over 18 years of age, who are actively undergoing treatment at the Medical Oncology Clinics of Atatürk University Research Hospital between February 1, 2026 and June 30, 2026, and who are not scheduled for surgical procedures during the research period. Accordingly, the minimum number of participants required for the study has been determined as 52. To reduce the risk of possible losses, withdrawals, or missing data during the research process, it is planned to include more participants than the calculated sample size. Within the scope of the research, the Neuropathic Pain Scale (S-LANSS) will be used to determine the presence of neuropathic pain in patients, and the VAS will be used to determine the severity of the pain. After the pre-test is completed, the control group will continue with routine treatment and care in the clinic. The intervention group will receive routine treatment and care, as well as foot massage using a foot massage roller for a total of 30 minutes twice a day. This intervention in the intervention group is planned to continue for 3 weeks. During this period, no other treatment will be applied to patients for neuropathic pain. The fact that only 3 small-scale studies, including one case report, were found in the literature review on this subject, the multidisciplinary collaboration in planning this study, and the expectation that it will offer practical solutions for chemotherapy-related neuropathic pain highlight the originality of the study. It is expected that the results obtained will provide evidence-based contributions to nursing care, support holistic approaches to improving patient comfort, and develop a viable intervention model for healthcare professionals.