Effect of progressive muscle relaxation in adolescent female bronchial asthma patients: A randomized, double-blind, controlled study

Nickel, Cerstin; Kettler, Christian; Muehlbacher, Moritz; Lahmann, Claas; Tritt, Karin; Fartacek, Rainhold; Bachler, Egon; Rother, Nadine; Egger, Christoph; Rother, Wolfhardt K.; Loew, Thomas H.; Nickel, Marius K.

doi:10.1016/j.jpsychores.2005.04.008

« Previous Next »Journal of Psychosomatic Research
Volume 59, Issue 6 , Pages 393-398, December 2005

Effect of progressive muscle relaxation in adolescent female bronchial asthma patients: A randomized, double-blind, controlled study

Cerstin Nickel
- Clinic of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Inntalklinik, Simbach am Inn, Germany
Christian Kettler
- Clinic of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Inntalklinik, Simbach am Inn, Germany
Moritz Muehlbacher
- University Clinic for Psychiatry 1, PMU, Salzburg, Austria
Claas Lahmann
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, University Clinic, Regensburg, Germany
Karin Tritt
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, University Clinic, Regensburg, Germany
Rainhold Fartacek
- University Clinic for Psychiatry 1, PMU, Salzburg, Austria
Egon Bachler
- Clinic of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Inntalklinik, Simbach am Inn, Germany
Nadine Rother
- Clinic of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Inntalklinik, Simbach am Inn, Germany
Christoph Egger
- University Clinic for Psychiatry 1, PMU, Salzburg, Austria
Wolfhardt K. Rother
- Clinic of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Inntalklinik, Simbach am Inn, Germany
Thomas H. Loew
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, University Clinic, Regensburg, Germany
Marius K. Nickel
- Clinic of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Inntalklinik, Simbach am Inn, Germany
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, University Clinic, Regensburg, Germany
- University Clinic for Psychiatry 1, PMU, Salzburg, Austria
- Corresponding author. Inntalklinik, 84359 Simbach am Inn, Germany. Tel.: +49 8571 985302; fax: +49 8571 985303.

Received 1 December 2004; received in revised form 5 April 2005; accepted 5 April 2005.

Abstract

Objective

The aim of this study is to examine the efficacy of progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) on change in blood pressure, lung parameters and heart rate in female adolescent asthmatics.

Method

In a prospective, randomized, double-blind, controlled study, adolescent female asthmatics (n=31) were tested to find out how the systolic blood pressure (SBP), forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV₁), peak expiratory flow (PEF) and heart rate change after PMR. The control group (CG; n=30) received a placebo intervention.

Results

A significant reduction in SBP and a significant increase in the FEV₁ and PEF were observed after PMR. The heart rate showed a significant increase in the coefficient of variation (CV), root-mean-square of successive differences (RMSSD) and at the high frequency (HF) range, in addition to a significant reduction at the low and middle frequency (LF and MF, respectively) ranges.