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PloS One 2024Aromatase inhibitors have positive impacts on the disease-free life of patients with breast cancer. However, their side effects, especially arthralgia, may be... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
BACKGROUND
Aromatase inhibitors have positive impacts on the disease-free life of patients with breast cancer. However, their side effects, especially arthralgia, may be experienced by many patients. This study sought to assess the efficacy of Progressive Relaxation Exercises on the prevalent side effects of Aromatase Inhibitors in patients with breast cancer.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
This clinical trial was conducted with single-blind randomization at a physiotherapy department in a local hospital. Patients who received Aromatase Inhibitor were assigned at random to either the study or control group. The study group (n = 22) performed a Progressive Relaxation Exercises program four days a week for six weeks, while the control group (n = 22) received advice on relaxation for daily life. Data was collected before the intervention and after six weeks. The study's primary endpoint was the Brief Pain Inventory, which was used to measure pain severity. Secondary endpoints included assessments of quality of life and emotional status, which were measured using the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy and Hospital Anxiety and Depression scales, respectively.
RESULTS
The study group exhibited a significant reduction in Pain Severity (p = 0.001) and Pain Interference (p = 0.012) sub-scores. Reduction in Pain Severity (p<0.001) and Patient Pain Experience (p = 0.003) sub-scores was also noted between the groups. Quality of Life and Emotional Status showed no significant variation both within and between the groups (p>0.05).
CONCLUSION
The study demonstrated that Progressive Relaxation Exercises caused a significant reduction in pain scores among Breast Cancer patients receiving Aromatase Inhibitors. While a decrease in pain during the 6-week period is valuable data, it is necessary to monitor the long-term effects of relaxation techniques.
Topics: Humans; Female; Aromatase Inhibitors; Breast Neoplasms; Relaxation Therapy; Autogenic Training; Quality of Life; Single-Blind Method; Treatment Outcome; Pain
PubMed: 38635763
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0301020 -
Inquiry : a Journal of Medical Care... 2024Relaxation-related workplace interventions can be counterstrategies for stress due to office work and should be evaluated for success after implementation. This study...
Relaxation-related workplace interventions can be counterstrategies for stress due to office work and should be evaluated for success after implementation. This study reports on the evaluation and comparison of 3 relaxation techniques introduced as an intervention for health promotion. A Germany-wide multicenter evaluation of a 3-month relaxation intervention (30 min, once a week) including autogenic training, progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) or Tai Chi was conducted at 14 locations as an intervention study. Anonymous questionnaires ( = 244) were used to collect self-reports of perceived stress after the courses. Status before the courses (pre) and after completion (post) were reported at the end of the intervention. All 3 relaxation techniques were able to improve the subjective perception of stress (SPS) score. Autogenic training was reported to improve all singular items with large effects, whereas only 2 items showed change for Tai Chi and none for PMR. Singular items were also influenced by the location of the courses. All 3 methods were able to improve stress-related outcomes in terms of stress perception and individual aspects of stress management. For this specific intervention autogenic training yielded the largest and wide-ranging effects. Tai Chi was also effective, but additional effect due to an associated increase in physical activity were not found. For a workplace intervention PMR could not be recommended based on this study. The literature on workplace interventions is surprisingly scarce, and future studies should focus on the selection of appropriate participants while avoiding potential bias.
Topics: Humans; Workplace; Exercise; Germany
PubMed: 38591360
DOI: 10.1177/00469580241242793 -
JMIR Mental Health Jan 2024Empirical evidence has shown that virtual reality (VR) scenarios can increase the effects of relaxation techniques, reducing anxiety by enabling people to experience... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
BACKGROUND
Empirical evidence has shown that virtual reality (VR) scenarios can increase the effects of relaxation techniques, reducing anxiety by enabling people to experience emotional conditions in more vivid settings.
OBJECTIVE
This pilot randomized controlled study aims to investigate whether the progressive muscle relaxation technique (PMRT) associated with a personalized scenario in VR promotes psychological well-being and facilitates the recall of relaxing images more than the standard complementary intervention that involves the integration of PMRT and guided imagery (GI).
METHODS
On the basis of a longitudinal, between-subject design, 72 university students were randomly exposed to one of two experimental conditions: (1) standard complementary procedure (PMRT and GI exposure) and (2) experimental procedure (PMRT and personalized VR exposure). Individuals were assessed by a therapist before and after 7 training sessions based on measures investigating anxiety, depression, quality of life, coping strategies, sense of presence, engagement, and side effects related to VR exposure. Heart rate data were also collected.
RESULTS
Differences in changes between the 2 groups after the in vivo PMRT session conducted by the psychotherapist (T1) were statistically significant for state anxiety (F=30.56; P<.001) and heart rate (F=4.87; P=.01). Individuals in the VR group obtained lower scores both before (t=-2.63; P=.01; Cohen d=0.91) and after (t=-7.23; P<.001; Cohen d=2.45) the relaxation session when it was self-administered by participants (T2). A significant reduction in perceived state anxiety at T1 and T2 was observed for both groups (P<.001). After the VR experience, individuals reported feeling higher engagement in the experience than what was mentioned by participants in the GI group (F=2.85; P=.03; η=0.15), and they experienced the environment as more realistic (F=4.38; P=.003; η=0.21). No differences between groups regarding sense of presence were found (F=1.99; P=.11; η=0.11). Individuals exposed before to the VR scenario (T1) referred to perceiving the scenario recalled in-imagination at T2 as more realistic than what those in the GI group experienced (F=3.21; P=.02; η=0.12). The VR group had lower trait anxiety levels than the GI group after the relaxation session during session 7 (T2; t=-2.43; P=.02).
CONCLUSIONS
Personalized relaxing VR scenarios can contribute to improving relaxation and decreasing anxiety when integrated with PMRT as a complementary relaxation method.
TRIAL REGISTRATION
ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05478941; https://classic.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05478941.
INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID)
RR2-10.2196/44183.
Topics: Humans; Autogenic Training; Imagery, Psychotherapy; Pilot Projects; Quality of Life; Relaxation Therapy
PubMed: 38289673
DOI: 10.2196/48649 -
Journal of Health Psychology May 2024University students were at an increased risk for psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using a randomized controlled trial, we examined the efficacy of... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
University students were at an increased risk for psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using a randomized controlled trial, we examined the efficacy of an online Yoga intervention on students' psychological functioning. Healthy university students ( = 106) were randomly assigned to a Yoga group, an active control group, or a passive control group in a 1:1:1 ratio. The experimental group attended six Yoga sessions over 6 weeks and the active control group attended to six autogenic relaxation sessions over 6 weeks. All participants completed the study protocol, which involved answering questionnaires related to psychological distress, emotion regulation, self-compassion, self-concept, spiritual well-being, and subjective happiness at three different time points: baseline, at the end of the intervention, and at 1-month follow-up. Results showed that Yoga contributed to improving self-compassion, extrinsic affect improving, and personal and communal spiritual well-being, in comparison to the control groups.
Topics: Humans; Yoga; COVID-19; Male; Female; Students; Universities; Young Adult; Mental Health; Adult; SARS-CoV-2; Self Concept; Psychological Distress; Spirituality; Stress, Psychological
PubMed: 38230561
DOI: 10.1177/13591053231220710 -
Medicine Nov 2023The present study aims to investigate the combined effect of slow breathing exercise (SBE) and progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) technique on blood pressure (BP),... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
PURPOSE
The present study aims to investigate the combined effect of slow breathing exercise (SBE) and progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) technique on blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR), respiratory rate (RR), and anxiety in patients diagnosed with essential hypertension.
TRIAL DESIGN
This study was based on a 4-arm parallel-group, randomized control design.
METHODS
Sixty-four participants diagnosed with essential hypertension were randomly allocated into SBE, PMR, SBE-PMR, and Control groups, with 16 subjects each. All 3 groups received different treatments according to their name; however, the Control group received no treatment. Systolic and diastolic BP (SBP and DBP), HR, RR, and anxiety were all evaluated as the study outcomes using a digital sphygmomanometer and perceived stress scale (PSS) at baseline (pretest), 2nd week and 4th weeks post-intervention. A repeated measure analysis of variance test assessed intra-group comparison (overall) analyses across multiple time points. Bonferroni multiple comparison tests were used to analyze the mean differences between the groups. The confidence interval was kept at 95% for all the statistical analyses, that is, P < .05 is considered significant.
RESULTS
There was a significant change in the HR (F = 239.04, P = .0001), RR (F = 167.74, P = .0001), SBP (F = 266.64, P = .0001), DSP (F = 279.80, P = .0001), and PSS (F = 473.42, P = .0001) as an outcome of baseline measurements versus (vs) the following weeks. There were significant (F = 48.57, P = .001) differences among different training on HR. The SBE vs SBE-PMR showed an insignificant difference (F = 48.54, P = 1.000). The RR showed significant differences (F = 32.05, 0.0001) between the SBE vs PMR, SBE vs Control, PMR vs Control, and SBE-PMR vs Control groups and insignificant differences for the SBE vs SBE-PMR and PMR vs SBE-PMR groups. The SBE vs SBE-PMR groups showed insignificant differences for DPP and SBP. However, PSS showed significant differences (F = 67.12, P = .0001) among the intervention groups except for the PMR and SBE-PMR groups.
CONCLUSIONS
The combined interventions of SBEs and progressive muscle relaxation techniques can effectively reduce the heart rate, respiratory rate, BP, and anxiety in essential hypertensive patients compared to both techniques when given alone.
Topics: Humans; Autogenic Training; Respiratory Rate; Relaxation Therapy; Hypertension; Blood Pressure; Essential Hypertension; Breathing Exercises
PubMed: 38013368
DOI: 10.1097/MD.0000000000035792 -
PloS One 2023Beneficial effects of music intervention and progressive muscle relaxation alone on psychological issues were reported, however, studies evaluating their combined... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
Effects of music intervention combined with progressive muscle relaxation on anxiety, depression, stress and quality of life among women with cancer receiving chemotherapy: A pilot randomized controlled trial.
UNLABELLED
Beneficial effects of music intervention and progressive muscle relaxation alone on psychological issues were reported, however, studies evaluating their combined effects are limited. This study aimed to investigate the feasibility, acceptability and preliminary effects of music intervention combined with progressive muscle relaxation on anxiety, depression, stress, and quality of life among breast and gynaecological cancer patients receiving chemotherapy.
METHODS
The study was carried out from March to May 2022 in an oncology hospital in Vietnam. A single-blinded randomized controlled trial was conducted among 24 women with breast and gynaecological cancer undergoing chemotherapy. The intervention group (n = 12) received a face-to-face training program about music listening and progressive muscle relaxation skills. They then performed the self-practice daily at home for three weeks. The control group (n = 12) received standard care, including health assessment, regular health advice and nutrition consultation. Ten participants in the intervention group were interviewed with open-ended questions to explore the acceptability of the intervention. Anxiety, depression and stress were measured using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale, while The Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General was used to evaluate the quality of life. The outcome measurements were collected at baseline (T0), post-intervention (3rd week, T1) and follow-up (6th week, T2). Appropriate descriptive statistics were used to depict the outcome measures across study time points.
RESULTS
A total of 24 patients were eligible to join, and 20 of them completed the study. Greater reductions in anxiety, depression and stress were observed in the intervention group than in the control group at T1 and T2. Greater improvements on quality of life were found in the intervention group than control group at T1 and T2 with respect to T0. The content analysis supported the acceptable intervention of participants through two themes, perceived beneficial effects on psychological and physical health and willingness to keep practising in the future.
CONCLUSIONS
Implementing music intervention combined with progressive muscle relaxation is feasible and had a trend in reducing anxiety, depression and stress levels. A larger scale randomized controlled trial is needed to confirm the effect of the intervention on outcomes.
TRIAL REGISTRATION
This trial was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov with ID: NCT05262621.
Topics: Humans; Female; Music; Depression; Autogenic Training; Music Therapy; Quality of Life; Pilot Projects; Anxiety; Neoplasms
PubMed: 37922279
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0293060 -
Brain Sciences Oct 2023Headache disorders are a significant global health burden, leading to reduced quality of life. While vast pharmacological treatments are available, they may be... (Review)
Review
Headache disorders are a significant global health burden, leading to reduced quality of life. While vast pharmacological treatments are available, they may be associated with adverse effects or inadequate efficacy for some patients, therefore there is a need for exploring alternate treatment strategies. This review gives a brief explanation and evaluation of some established and emerging non-pharmacological approaches for headache management, focusing on nutraceuticals and diet, acupuncture, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), biofeedback, relaxation techniques, autogenic training, and neuromodulation. Special consideration is given to psychological interventions as they increase patient self-efficacy and provide strategies for managing chronic pain. Future research should focus on optimizing these therapies, identifying patient-specific factors influencing their effectiveness, and integrating them into holistic headache management strategies.
PubMed: 37891800
DOI: 10.3390/brainsci13101432 -
Spinal Cord Series and Cases Aug 2023
PubMed: 37620308
DOI: 10.1038/s41394-023-00602-5 -
Medicine Jul 2023Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a common condition in women of reproductive age. It is characterized by a range of behavioral, physical, and psychological symptoms. The... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
The effect of progressive muscle relaxation technique and myofascial release technique on premenstrual symptoms, blood circulation, and quality of life in women with premenstrual syndrome: A single-blind randomized controlled study.
BACKGROUND
Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a common condition in women of reproductive age. It is characterized by a range of behavioral, physical, and psychological symptoms. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of progressive relaxation and myofascial release technique (MRT) on premenstrual symptoms, blood flow rate, pain, sleep quality and quality of life, in women with PMS.
METHOD
The study will conduct as a single-blind randomized controlled trial. Study registered at the ClinicalTrial.gov Protocol ID: NCT05836454. The volunteers will be randomized using allocation software to be divided into 3 groups: the progressive muscle relaxation group, the MRT group, and the control group. Assessments will be conducted by another physical therapist who is blinded to the groups. The assessments will include the Premenstrual Syndrome Severity Score, Blood Flow Measurements, Short Form McGill Pain Questionnaire, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and Short Form-36 Health Survey.
DISCUSSION
Since both methods provide relaxation, improve symptoms and quality of life, they have not been compared to each other in the literature. This prompt to us to plan this study.
Topics: Female; Humans; Autogenic Training; Quality of Life; Myofascial Release Therapy; Single-Blind Method; Premenstrual Syndrome
PubMed: 37417631
DOI: 10.1097/MD.0000000000034223 -
Heart & Lung : the Journal of Critical... 2023Chest physiotherapy for hospitalized patients with COVID-19 has been poorly reported. Although recommendations were published to guide physiotherapists, practice might...
BACKGROUND
Chest physiotherapy for hospitalized patients with COVID-19 has been poorly reported. Although recommendations were published to guide physiotherapists, practice might have differed depending on education and training.
OBJECTIVE
To analyze the differences in chest physiotherapy applied for hospitalized patients with COVID-19 between certified specialists and non-certified specialists.
METHODS
An online questionnaire survey was developed for physiotherapists involved in the management of hospitalized patients with COVID-19. The questionnaire inquired about professional information and characteristics of physiotherapy practice.
RESULTS
There were 485 respondents, yielding a completion rate of 76%. Of these, 61 were certified specialists and 424 non-certified specialists. The certified specialists were older, had more years of professional experience, were more qualified, and had better job conditions. For mechanically ventilated patients, the certified specialists used the ventilator hyperinflation maneuver more frequently (50.4% vs 35.1%, p = 0.005), and the hard/brief expiratory rib cage compression (ERCC) (26.9% vs 48.3%, p = 0.016), soft/long ERCC (25.2% vs 39.1%, p = 0.047), and manual chest compression-decompression (MCCD) maneuver (22.4% vs 35.6%, p = 0.001) less often. For spontaneously breathing patients, the certified specialists used the active cycle of breathing technique (30.8% vs 67.1%, p<0.001), autogenic drainage (7.7% vs 20.7%, p = 0.017), and MCCD maneuver (23.1% vs 41.4%, p = 0.018) less frequently.
CONCLUSIONS
Certified specialists with higher levels of expertise seem to prefer the use of chest physiotherapy techniques that are applied with the mechanical ventilator over manual techniques. Furthermore, they use techniques that could potentially increase the work of breathing less frequently, mitigating the risk of exacerbating respiratory conditions in patients with COVID-19.
Topics: Humans; Brazil; COVID-19; Physical Therapy Modalities; Respiratory Therapy
PubMed: 37354583
DOI: 10.1016/j.hrtlng.2023.06.005