Impact of Preoperative Progressive Relaxation Exercises on Postoperative Pain, Comfort, and Recovery: A Randomized Controlled Trial

This randomized controlled trial aimed to investigate the impact of preoperative progressive relaxation exercises on postoperative pain, comfort, and quality of recovery. The study was conducted between June and November 2023, involving 68 patients undergoing surgical intervention and hospitalized in the surgical clinic. Data were collected using the Personal Information Form, the Visual Analog Scale (VAS)-Pain, the Perianesthesia Comfort Scale, and the Quality of Recovery Questionnaire. At the sixth postoperative hour, no significant difference was observed in pain levels between the experimental and control groups (P > .05). However, the VAS scores for the experimental group at the 12th and 24th postoperative hours were significantly lower than those of the control group (P < .001). Furthermore, 24 hours postoperatively, the experimental group demonstrated significantly higher quality of recovery (P < .001) and comfort levels (P < .001) than the control group. This study concludes that patients engaged in relaxation exercises exhibited lower VAS scores and higher levels of recovery and comfort.