Can Jacobson’s Progressive Muscle Relaxation Technique Affect Anxiety Indices, Pain, and Vital Signs in Patients Undergoing Discectomy: A Randomized Controlled Trial

@article{rahimi2026jacobsonrsquos,
  title = {{Can Jacobson’s Progressive Muscle Relaxation Technique Affect Anxiety Indices, Pain, and Vital Signs in Patients Undergoing Discectomy: A Randomized Controlled Trial}},
  author = {Rahimi A and Moghadasi F and Jadidi A and Haddadi K and Hamedani B},
  journal = {Journal of Pain Research},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  url = {https://www.dovepress.com/can-jacobsons-progressive-muscle-relaxation-technique-affect-anxiety-i-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-JPR},
  note = {CC BY},
}

TY  - JOUR
TI  - Can Jacobson’s Progressive Muscle Relaxation Technique Affect Anxiety Indices, Pain, and Vital Signs in Patients Undergoing Discectomy: A Randomized Controlled Trial
AU  - Rahimi A
AU  - Moghadasi F
AU  - Jadidi A
AU  - Haddadi K
AU  - Hamedani B
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/01
JO  - Journal of Pain Research
UR  - https://www.dovepress.com/can-jacobsons-progressive-muscle-relaxation-technique-affect-anxiety-i-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-JPR
AB  - Ali Rahimi,1 Fatemeh Moghadasi,2 Ali Jadidi,3,4 Kaveh Haddadi,5 Behzad Hamedani61Department of Medical-Surgical Nursing, Clinical Research Development Unit, Imam Khomeini Hospital, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran; 2Department of Nursing, Arak School of Nursing, Arak University of Medical Sciences, Arak, Iran; 3Department of Community Health Nursing, School of Nursing, Arak University of Medical Sciences, Arak, Iran; 4Traditional and Complementary Medicine Research Center, Arak University of Medical Sciences, Arak, Iran; 5Department of Neurosurgery, Clinical Research Development Unit, Imam Khomeini Hospital, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran; 6Department of Medical-Surgical Nursing, Arak School of Nursing, Arak University of Medical Sciences, Arak, IranCorrespondence: Behzad Hamedani, Department of Medical-Surgical Nursing, Arak School of Nursing, Arak University of Medical Sciences, Arak, Iran, Tel +98 936 660 3297, Email [email protected]: Discectomy is associated with preoperative anxiety, alterations in vital signs, and increased postoperative pain. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of Jacobson’s Progressive Muscle Relaxation on anxiety, pain, and preoperative vital-sign measurements in patients scheduled for discectomy.Methods: This randomized clinical trial, conducted in 2025, included 106 patients scheduled for discectomy. Participants were randomly assigned to intervention and control groups using block randomization. The intervention group performed Jacobson’s Progressive Muscle Relaxation Technique twice daily for 15 minutes, starting two days before surgery and continuing for seven days post-surgery. The control group received routine perioperative care without progressive muscle relaxation. Data were collected before and after the intervention using the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, a vital-sign assessment form, and the Visual Analog Scale. Statistical analyses were performed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 27.Results: A total of 106 patients were randomized equally to the intervention and control groups. For the prespecified primary outcome, adjusted post-intervention state anxiety was significantly lower in the intervention group than in the control group (adjusted mean difference = − 12.02, 95% CI − 15.06 to − 8.98; F(1,103)=61.50, P< 0.001, partial η2=0.374). Adjusted post-intervention trait anxiety was also lower in the intervention group (adjusted mean difference = − 7.43, 95% CI − 10.31 to − 4.56; F(1,103)=26.38, P< 0.001, partial η2=0.204). Repeated-measures analysis demonstrated a significant group × time interaction for postoperative pain (P< 0.001). Bonferroni-adjusted between-group comparisons showed significant differences after the evening session on postoperative day 2 (P=0.008) and after both sessions on postoperative day 7 (P< 0.001). After adjustment for baseline values, significant between-group differences were also observed in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, and oxygen saturation (all P≤ 0.012).Conclusion: Jacobson’s Progressive Muscle Relaxation was associated with lower preoperative anxiety, reduced postoperative pain, and significant differences in preoperative vital-sign measurements among patients undergoing discectomy. As state anxiety was the prespecified primary outcome, findings for pain and physiological parameters should be interpreted as secondary outcomes. JPRT may be a useful complementary non-pharmacological nursing intervention during perioperative care, although further multicenter randomized controlled trials are warranted.Keywords: progressive muscle relaxation, discectomy, pain, vital signs, jacobson
SN  - 1178-7090
ER  -