THE EFFECT OF PROGRESSIVE MUSCLE RELAXATION TECHNIQUE ON THE QUALITY OF SLEEP AND FATIGUE IN PATIENTS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS

Fatigue and sleep problems are experienced by most patients with multiple
sclerosis (MS) that can interfere with a patient's daily functioning. Complementary therapies are widely
used by multiple sclerosis patients and Progressive Muscle Relaxation Technique (PMRT (is a form of
complementary therapies. This research was conducted to investigate to identify the effects of applying
Progressive Muscle Relaxation Technique on of fatigue and sleep problems patients with multiple
Sclerosis.
Materials & Methods: This is a study –experimental study on 50 patients with MS. Samples selected
through convenience sampling method, and were allocated to intervention (7 weeks usual care and
relaxation) and control (usual care only) groups randomly. Means of data collection included:
demographic Information Questionnaire, Fatigue Severity Scale was used for measuring fatigue, and
the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index was used for evaluating the sleep quality. Percentage, one way
ANOVA, paired sample t-test and independent sample t test were used in the assessment of data.
Results: Independent t-test showed a significant difference (p<0.023) between the mean and standard
deviation of fatigue score in control (5.06±0.31) and case (4.05±0.39) groups. The average sleep quality
score in control and case group after the study was 12.04±0.91 and 6±0.62 respectively (P<0.001)
Conclusion: This study supports the effect of PMRT on fatigue and sleep quality in patients with MS,
and it is recommended that further studies be conducted on this subject in the future