Study Summary

One hundred fifty patients with knee osteoarthritis were randomized to receive foot reflexology with black cumin seed oil (n=30), foot reflexology with placebo (n=30), knee massage with black cumin seed oil (n=30), knee massage with placebo (n=30), or standard care (n=30). The primary outcomes of interest were pain (VAS) and fatigue severity (FSS). Secondary outcomes included WOMAC scores and Lequesne index. Outcomes were assessed at baseline and after 6 weeks. Overall, the results of the study revealed that all intervention groups showed improvements, with the greatest reductions in pain and fatigue observed in the foot reflexology with black cumin oil group (P = .001). These findings suggest that foot reflexology with black cumin seed oil is the most effective among the studied interventions for reducing symptoms in knee osteoarthritis.