Official websites use. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Correspondence: jhhang gmail. Foot reflexology is a non-invasive complementary therapy that is increasingly being accepted by modern people in recent years. To understand the research trends and prospects of foot reflexology in the past 31 years, this study used the Web of Science core collection as the data source and two visualization tools, COOC and VOSviewer, to analyze the literature related to the field of foot reflexology from to This study found that the number of articles published in the field of foot reflexology has been increasing year by year, and the top three journals with the most articles are Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, Therapies in Medicine, and the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine.
The top three most prolific authors are Wyatt, Sikorskii, and Victorson, and the core institutions in the field of foot reflexology are Michigan State University, Northwestern University, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, and the University of Exeter. Foot reflexology has been shown to have a moderating effect on anxiety, fatigue, and cancer, and is a topic of ongoing and future research.
This study uses this bibliometric analysis of foot reflexology literature to provide an overview of prior knowledge and a reference direction for modern preventive medicine. Keywords: foot reflexology, bibliometric analysis, preventive medicine, corporate online open course, VOSviewer. Reflexology is an ancient therapy that was used by the early Chinese, Egyptians, and North American indigenous tribes for healing, but it was not until the 19th century that the medical community, nursing, and complementary and alternative medicine CAM practitioners began to explore it scientifically.
In reflexology, there are five zones on each side of the body, each of which spreads down the arm and is confined to a single finger, while also extending down the body and leg until it aligns with a corresponding toe on the foot [ 1 ].
Reflexology is also known as regional therapy and reflex massage therapy. Its principle is that each area of the hands and feet represents each part of the body, such as the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, kidneys, and other internal organs, and when various areas of the hands and feet are massaged, it can stimulate energy, blood, nutrition, or nerves, resulting in therapeutic effects, including relieving mental stress, detoxifying the body, promoting blood circulation, losing weight, delaying aging, and improving internal health [ 2 ], as shown in Figure 1.
