Skip to main content
OpenTrials
Completed

NCT Number: NCT06972173

SHORT-TERM EFFECTS OF DEEP BREATHING AND PROGRESSIVE MUSCLE RELAXATION EXERCISES ON MUSCULOSKELETAL PAIN AND WELL-BEING IN HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

Exam stress in high school students, long hours of studying in the static posture, and lack of physical activity habits can cause physical and psychological discomfort in them. This discomfort can be physically seen as musculoskeletal pain, while as psychologically it can be observed as a decrease in well-being. This situation can cause the acute onset of musculoskeletal pain in students to become chronic with a decrease in well-being. On the contrary, we can observe an increase in musculoskeletal pain due to stress that may occur due to a decrease in well-being.

Musculoskeletal pain is a condition that is not fatal but severely impairs health and well-being (1). According to the biopsychosocial model, pain occurs in a complex interaction between biological, psychological and social factors (2). Therefore, pain is both a subjective experience and a physical sensation with large individual differences (3). Relaxation is now a non-pharmacological intervention that has been increasingly accepted in recent years to reduce and cope with pain (4). A person who is relaxed usually has a physical and psychological well-being and feelings of calmness (5). With relaxation exercises, the person starts to reduce anxiety level by coping with stress (6). In addition to relaxation techniques, deep breathing exercise, also known as diaphragmatic breathing, is a technique based on the idea that mind and body integration provides relaxation (7). Breathing exercises are easy to learn and practice and benefit can be obtained from deep breathing exercises performed in a short time (5 minutes of practice may be sufficient) (8). In studies in which both techniques were used separately, it was reported to provide physical and psychological relaxation.

The unique aspect of this study is the investigation of the effects of both techniques on pain and well-being in high school students using both techniques simultaneously.

For this purpose, we planned to investigate the short-term effects of deep breathing and progressive muscle relaxation exercises on musculoskeletal pain and well-being in high school students.

Completed

Looking for future studies?

Notify Me

Key information

Conditions

Deep Breathing Maneuver Muscular Diseases Musculoskeletal Diseases Musculoskeletal Pain Neurologic Manifestations PROGRESSIVE MUSCLE RELAXATION EXERCISES Pain Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Signs and Symptoms

Age range

13 year–16 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Kırklareli ANATOLIA HIGH SCHOOL

Kırklareli, Central, 39000, Turkey (Türkiye)

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • The inclusion criteria were voluntary acceptance to participate in the exercise program with parental consent, the absence of an orthopedic, neurological or psychiatric disorder that would affect participation in exercises, and full participation in exercise sessions.

Exclusion criteria

  • Those who did not meet the inclusion criteria and did not voluntarily agree to participate in the study

Treatment and study plan

DEEP BREATHING AND PROGRESSIVE MUSCLE RELAXATION EXERCISES

Other

For deep breathing exercises, students were asked to place their dominant hand on their abdomen and non-dominant hand on their chest in the semi-fowler position. Afterwards, they were instructed to breath deeply through their nose for 4 seconds and exhale through their mouth for 8 seconds. These exercises were performed as 4 repetitions with 2 minutes rest time between the exercises. When the deep breathing exercises were finished, the students lay on their backs and rested for 1 minute and then progressive muscle relaxation exercise was started (10,11).

For the progressive muscle relaxation exercise, the students were asked to contract and then relax the right foot, left foot, right leg, left leg, hip, abdominal muscles, chest muscles and back muscles, right hand, left hand, right arm, left arm, neck and shoulders, and facial muscles respectively. Respectively, from bottom to top, all the major muscles are contracted while inhaling deeply and slowly, and relaxed and r

Primary outcomes

  1. musculoskeletal pain

    Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 4 weeks

    Cornell Musculoskeletal Disorder Questionnaire (CMDQ): The scale was adapted into Turkish by Erdinç et al. in 2008. This scale assesses the frequency and severity of pain, soreness or discomfort in 11 different body parts (neck, shoulder, back, upper arm, waist, forearm, wrist, hip, upper leg, knee and lower leg) in the last 7 days and whether it interferes with work. Weight scores are calculated according to the answers given for frequency, severity and inability to work.The frequency of pain, aching or discomfort was graded from never (0) to many times every day (4); the severity was graded from mildly severe (1) to very severe (3); and the effect on work performance was graded from never interfered (1) to very much interfered (3). The weighted score for each body part takes a value between 0 and 90.

Secondary outcomes

  1. WELL-BEING

    Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 4 weeks

    Well-being Star Scale (WSS): It is a questionnaire developed by Korkut and Owen in 2016 at the university. The first dimension 'making sense of life and being goal-oriented' consists of seven items (1, 6, 11, 16, 21, 23, 24). The second dimension 'cognitive dimension' consists of four items (2, 7, 12, 17). The third dimension, 'emotional dimension', consists of five items (3, 8, 13, 18, 22). The fourth (4, 9, 14, 19) and fifth (5, 10, 15, 20) dimensions consist of four items each and are named as 'physical dimension' and 'social dimension' respectively. The items are scored using a five-point Likert scale. The scores that can be obtained from the scale vary between 24-120 and the higher the score, the more positive the individual's well-being is interpreted.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Kırklareli University

Other

Registry information

Official study title

By the WHO and ICMJE for Studies With a Study Start Date That is Before June 1, 2024

Acronym: Deep breathing

Important dates

Study start
2023
Primary completion
2024
Study completion
2024
First posted
May 14, 2025
Registry last updated
May 18, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

Related clinical trials

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.