Progressive Muscle Relaxation and Mindfulness Meditation on Neuropathic Pain, Fatigue, and Quality of Life in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

PURPOSE: To examine the effects of progressive muscle relaxation and mindfulness meditation on the severity of diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain (DPNP), fatigue, and quality of life in patients with type 2 diabetes. DESIGN: An assessor-blinded prospective randomized controlled trial. METHODS: Participants were randomly assigned to the relaxation group (RG; n = 28), meditation group (MG; n = 25), or control group (CG; n = 24). The mean age of participants was 64.2 ± 8.1 years in the RG, 61.6 ± 8.0 years in the MG, and 64.1± 6.6 years in the CG. Patients in the intervention groups performed progressive muscle relaxation or mindfulness meditation at their home for 12 weeks, 20 min daily. The CG received only an attention-matched controlled education on pancreas anatomy and diabetes. Data collection was performed at baseline and at weeks 12 and 14 using the VAS, FACIT Fatigue Scale (FACIT-F), and Neuropathic Pain Impact on Quality of Life Questionnaire (NePIQoL). FINDINGS: VAS scores were significantly lower in the RG and MG at week 12 (p < .05) and were statistically significant in the RG at week 14. Additionally, fatigue severity decreased significantly in the RG at weeks 12 and 14, compared to that in the CG (p < .05). While no significant difference was found in the quality of life scores between the study groups at weeks 12 and 14 (p > .05), a significant improvement in quality of life scores in the RG were provided at week 12 compared to those at baseline and week 14 (p < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Both progressive muscle relaxation and mindfulness meditation had a positive impact on providing pain relief in patients with DPNP. Moreover, progressive muscle relaxation also appeared to have a beneficial effect on fatigue. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Based on the results, progressive muscle relaxation and mindfulness meditation can be recommended as supportive therapies for the management of DPNP.