Effectiveness of applying progressive muscle relaxation technique on quality of life of patients with multiple sclerosis

The aim of present study was to determine the effect of progressive muscle relaxation as an adjunctive therapy to enhance the level of the quality of life in female M. S patients. This study used a quasi-experimental design with pre and post test and a two month follow up. Among all members of the Shiraz multiple sclerosis aid society، 30 female patients were selected from among all members of the MS Society in the City of Shiraz. Selection was based on availability of patients and whether or not they met conditions set for entering the program. Participants were then randomly allocated to either an experimental or a control group. WHO’s Quality of Life questionnaire was administered at pre and post test and at follow up. 12 sessions of progressive muscle relaxation using Bernstein & Borkovec’s method was practiced with patients in the experimental group twice weekly. Each session was of 60 minutes duration. Levin’s test and ANOVA with repeated measures were used to analyze data. Results showed that this treatment increased patient''s quality of life and 37 percent of the observed changes was related to muscle relaxation therapy. After two months، results showed that not only patients had maintained the level of skill obtained during training but also their quality of life scores remained higher than the control group. This treatment can be used as an effective method for enhancing the quality of life and as an adjunctive therapy for M. S patients.