Physical Exercise Intervention In Reducing The Severity Level Of Restless Leg Syndrome In Hemodialysis Patients: Literature Review

Abstract

Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS) is a serious problem that is often experienced by Hemodialysis (HD) patients. Some nonpharmacological therapies can be done to reduce RLS symptoms such as stretching exercises, aerobics, cool dialysate therapy, Physical Activity Therapy (PAT) , reflexology, and aromatherapy massage. This literature review aims to determine the effect of Physical Exercise Intervention (PEI) in reducing RLS symptoms in patients undergoing HD including the type of movement, exercise duration, and frequency. Data were collected from PUBMED, Science Direct, Proquest, Ebscohost, CNBI, and e-resources with a total of 522 articles. These articles were limited to the criteria of English language and experimental design within the last 10 years. Physical Exercise Intervention could be applied with RLS including stretching exercises and aerobic exercises based on seven selected articles. Meanwhile, the most appropriate PEI duration was 30-40 minutes and the most appropriate PEI frequency was three times per week. The most widely used instrument to assess the degree of RLS was the international Restless Legs Syndrome Severity Scale (IRLS). PEI is effective in reducing RLS of hemodialysis patients. The most factors contribute to the effectiveness of PEI are the type of movement, the duration of exercises, and the frequency of exercises performed.