Effect of Massage Therapy on Severity of Restless Legs Syndrome and Quality of Life in Hemodialysis Patients

Effect of Massage Therapy With Lavender Oil on Severity of Restless Legs Syndrome and Quality of Life in Hemodialysis Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial

This randomized controlled trial was conducted to determine the effect of the massage, applied with 5% lavender oil for the individuals receiving HD therapy, in the first half of HD session three times a week for four weeks on both legs for 10 minutes in each leg, on severity of RLS and quality of life. The study was completed with 58 patients including 31 people in the intervention group and 27 people in the placebo control group, in 7 hemodialysis centers located in a city center.

The restless leg syndrome (RLS) is among the most common problems for the individuals undergoing hemodialysis (HD) therapy. This randomized controlled trial was conducted to determine the effect of the massage, applied with 5% lavender oil for the individuals receiving HD therapy, in the first half of HD session three times a week for four weeks on both legs for 10 minutes in each leg, on severity of RLS and quality of life. The study was completed with 58 patients including 31 people in the intervention group and 27 people in the placebo control group, in 7 hemodialysis centers located in a city center. The ethics committee approval, informed consent of the individuals and the institutional permission were obtained. The data were collected using the patient information form, RLS Severity Rating Scale, Kidney Disease Quality of Life Questionnaire (KDQOLTM-36) and patient follow-up charts. In accordance with the massage application protocol, those in the intervention group were massaged with lavender oil and those in the placebo group were massaged with baby oil. Chi-square test, t test, repeated measures one-way analysis of variance, and Pearson correlation analysis tests were used to assess the data. In the comparisons, the value of p<0.05 was accepted as significant.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patients aged ≥18 years
• were not pregnant or did not plan pregnancy
• were diagnosed with RLS by a physician
• had at least mild RLS based on the RLS Severity Rating Scale
• had received HD treatment in the HD units for at least 3 months and three sessions per week
• had continued the dialysis treatment at the same institution
• had not changed the treatment schedule before the massage therapy and throughout the study
• could understand and communicate in Turkish

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients with an allergy to lavender oil
• had an open wound that would hinder the massage therapy
• had lower leg problems such as neuropathy
• had a neurological disease such as epilepsy, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, or multiple sclerosis
• had a history of other CIT methods applied