The effects of progressive muscular relaxation as a nursing procedure used for those who suffer from stress due to multiple sclerosis.

The sample was small (40 patients), and the authors state this did not allow generalisation and made non-significant results hard to interpret. The relaxation group also received nurse appointments, weekly telephone calls, home visits and supervised practice, so the effect of relaxation alone cannot be separated. The between-group stress result was reported with p>0.05, so the trial did not show a clear difference from control. Participants were stable relapsing-remitting MS outpatients with Expanded Disability Status Scale scores of 5.0 or less, no recent relapses, and no psychotropic or complementary therapy use, so the results may not apply to more disabled or unstable patients. The authors note they did not use laboratory stress measures such as IgA and salivary cortisol. Physiological marker changes were measured before and after relaxation sessions, not as long-term clinical outcomes.

Do not conclude that progressive muscle relaxation alone reduces stress in multiple sclerosis. The between-group stress result was reported with p>0.05, and the relaxation group also received nurse appointments, weekly telephone calls, home visits and supervised practice, so those extra contacts cannot be separated from the relaxation technique.