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Effects of Progressive Muscle Relaxation Exercises Accompanied by Music on Low Back Pain and Quality of Life During Pregnancy
Author(s) -
Akmeşe Zehra Baykal,
Oran Nazan Tuna
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of midwifery and women's health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.543
H-Index - 62
eISSN - 1542-2011
pISSN - 1526-9523
DOI - 10.1111/jmwh.12176
Subject(s) - medicine , physical therapy , visual analogue scale , randomized controlled trial , intervention (counseling) , quality of life (healthcare) , relaxation (psychology) , pregnancy , progressive muscle relaxation , low back pain , alternative medicine , nursing , pathology , biology , genetics
Back pain is commonly experienced by pregnant women. Evidence suggests that progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) therapy, a complementary therapy widely used by pregnant women, may improve the physical and psychological outcomes of pregnancy. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of PMR training accompanied by music on perceived pain and quality of life (QOL) in pregnant women with low back pain (LBP). Methods This was a prospective randomized controlled trial. The study was designed to examine the effects of PMR accompanied by music on pregnant women with LBP. In total, 66 pregnant women were assigned randomly to a PMR group or a control group (33 women in each). A personal information form was used as a data collection tool; a visual analog scale was used for measuring pain; and the Short Form‐36 was used to evaluate QOL. Results The control and intervention groups were comparable at baseline. Significant differences were observed between the 2 groups after 4 and 8 weeks of intervention. The intervention group showed significant improvement in all QOL subscales after the intervention. The intervention group, but not the control group, showed significant improvement in perceived pain after the intervention. The intervention group experienced a greater decrease in perceived pain and improved QOL than the control group. Discussion Our findings show that PMR accompanied by music may be an effective therapy for improving pain and QOL in pregnant women with LBP. Large randomized studies are recommended to confirm these results.