The Effectiveness of Progressive Muscle Relaxation Technique in Reducing Cancer-related Pain

The PMR technique utilized in this study was based on the original technique designed by Jacobson (1938) and subsequently modified by Bernstein and Borkovec (1973). The PMR technique involves tensing the individual muscle groups for about 5 seconds for each muscle. Then, allowing them to relax for about 10 seconds, and notice how the muscle feels when it is relaxed in contrast to how it felt when it was tensed. The technique is accompanied by breathing exercises in order to feel the sense of relaxation. In this study, the PMR technique refers to tensing and relaxing the muscles from the forehead to the feet one by one, including the eleven muscle groups (right arm, left arm, forehead, jaw and neck, back and shoulders, stomach, thighs, right calf, left calf, right foot and left foot). The total procedure takes around 20 minutes.