Effectiveness of Progressive Muscle Relaxation Technique on Pain and Quality of Life in Thyroid Cancer Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Effectiveness of Progressive Muscle Relaxation Technique on Pain and Quality of Life in Thyroid Cancer Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Thyroid cancer patients often experience pain and reduced quality of life during chemotherapy. This randomized controlled trial will evaluate whether Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) exercises, added to routine range-of-motion exercises, reduce pain and improve quality of life compared to range-of-motion exercises alone. Thirty-two thyroid cancer patients randomly assigned to either the PMR group or the control group. Pain measured by using the Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) and quality of life using the FACT-G questionnaire before and after a 4-5 day intervention. The study compared changes between groups.
This is a single-center, parallel-group, randomized controlled trial to be conducted at PINUM Cancer Hospital, Faisalabad, Pakistan. A total of 32 patients with histologically confirmed thyroid cancer (Stage I-III) undergoing chemotherapy (1-3 sessions) will be enrolled. Inclusion criteria: age 30-50 years, moderate pain (NPRS 3-7), baseline FACT-G score ≥80%, history of lobectomy or thyroidectomy. Exclusion criteria: comorbidities (cardiomyopathy, respiratory disorders, severe mental illness), recent fractures or surgeries, inability to follow instructions, current practice of relaxation therapies. Participants will be randomly allocated 1:1 using an online random number generator into two groups. Experimental group (n=16): Progressive Muscle Relaxation Technique (PMRT) once daily for 4-5 consecutive days, each session 20-40 minutes, targeting head/neck, shoulders, arms/hands, lower back/hips, calves/thighs, and feet/toes. Each movement involves deep inhalation, tensing for 10-20 seconds, then exhalation with relaxation. Control group (n=16): gentle range-of-motion and stretching exercises of same frequency and duration. Outcomes: pain (NPRS, 0-10) and quality of life (FACT-G, 4 subscales) measured at baseline and post-intervention. Normality of data assessed by using Shapiro-Wilk test. Between-group comparisons is performed by using Mann-Whitney U test, and within-group pre-post comparisons using Wilcoxon signed-rank test. No adverse events are anticipated. After study completion, results will be submitted separately in the Results Module.
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Faisalābad, Punjab Province 3800, Pakistan