Effect of massage therapy with lavender oil on severity of restless legs syndrome and quality of life in hemodialysis patients

Abstract

This study assessed the effects of massage therapy using 5% lavender oil on the severity of restless legs syndrome (RLS) and the quality of life (QoL) of patients on hemodialysis (HD). Design and methods:This is a randomized placebo-controlled study with a pretestposttest design. This study was conducted from January 30, 2019, to May 6, 2019, at HD centers in Turkey, and it includes 58 participants-31 study patients and 27 controls. Data were collected using patient identification form, RLS severity rating scale, Kidney Disease Quality of Life Scale (KDQOL TM -36) and patient follow-up charts. As per the massage therapy protocol, the patients in the study and control groups received massage therapy with lavender oil and baby oil, respectively.Findings: RLS severity significantly decreased in all follow-up weeks in the study group and in the first, second, and third follow-up weeks in the control group. There were significant differences between the groups in terms of KDQOL TM -36 subscales and total scores at the initial and final follow-ups. Conclusion:In HD patients, massage with lavender oil lessened the severity of RLS and improved the QoL. Accordingly, this therapy can be recommended to HD patients.Clinical relevance: Massage therapy during HD sessions is easy, inexpensive, and patient-friendly with no side effects. It is known to reduce symptoms and enable the patients to easily perform daily activities of living. Massage therapy with lavender oil is effective and can be easily applied to patients with RLS by nurses.

The effect of nonpharmacologic interventions for muscle cramps and restless‐leg syndrome in hemodialysis patients: A meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials

“…No blinding was performed in the remaining six studies [7, 17, 19, 21, 25, 27]. Regarding withdrawals and dropouts, eight studies were of strong quality [18, 20–24, 26, 28], while five studies were of low quality due to high rates of withdrawals and dropouts or lack of reporting [7, 16, 17, 19, 27] (Table 3).…”

“…This systematic review and meta‐analysis is the first to present results from 14 studies that investigated the effects of non‐pharmacological methods on cramping and RLS in HD patients during the past 20 years. The findings of those studies indicated that muscle‐related problems were frequently observed in HD patients [17–20, 22, 23, 26]. Caplin et al (2011) emphasized that cramping was a common complication associated with HD, with a rate of 74% [15].…”

“…Moreover, the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) was preferred in one study [17]. The studies evaluated RLS according to the International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group Scale (IRLSSGS) [19–28]. Visual Analog Scale ( VAS ): This scale, which is formed by placing the numbers from 0 to 10 at equal intervals on a horizontal line, was used to evaluate the cramping episodes of HD patients.…”

Use of Complementary and Integrative (Integrated) Methods in Restless Legs Syndrome: Traditional Review

“…15 HBS olan hastalarda, TİT yöntemlerinin kullanımına yönelik yapılan çalışmalar incelendiğinde, HBS belirtilerinin yönetiminde aromaterapi, masaj, egzersiz, yoga, refleksoloji, akupunktur, sıcak ve soğuk uygulama, doğal ürünler ve transkütanöz elektriksel sinir stimülasyonu [transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS)] gibi yöntemlerin hastalarda olumlu etkilerinin olduğu görülmüştür. [23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41]…”

“…50 Hemodiyaliz (HD) tedavisi alan bireylerde haftada 3 kez, 4 hafta boyunca, her 2 alt bacağa 10 dk (toplam 20 dk) lavanta yağı (%5) ile müdahale grubuna uygulanan masajın, plasebo kontrol grubuna göre HBS şiddetini azalttığı ve yaşam kalitesini artırdığı belirlenmiştir. 23 HD tedavisi alan hastalarda gliserin ve lavanta yağı ile yapılan masajın, HBS şiddeti üzerine etkisini belirlemek amacıyla yapılan bir başka çalışmada ise müdahale gruplarına 4 hafta boyunca haftada 3 kez 10-15 mL gliserin (%2) ve lavanta yağı (%1,5) ile 45 dk basit öfloraj masajı uygulanmış, kontrol grubuna ise rutin bakım verilmiştir. Gliserin ve lavanta yağıyla yapılan masajın, müdahale grubunda kontrol grubuna göre HBS şiddetini azalttığı, ancak her iki müdahale grubu arasında HBS şiddetinde azalmada anlamlı bir farklılık olmadığı tespit edilmiştir.…”