Muscle relaxation lowers aggression in handicapped patients

Training the muscles to relax can offer a great deal of relief for mentally handicapped patients. The acknowledged therapeutic benefits prompted researchers at the Kwai Chung Hospital in Hong Kong to evaluate muscle relaxation training to help reduce aggressive behaviour in mentally handicapped patients.

The researchers found that there was a reduction of 14.7 per cent in the frequency of aggressive behaviour after handicapped patients were given muscle relaxation training.

Whilst the benefits were modest, the researchers concluded that the muscle relaxation training appears to be effective in reducing the frequency of outburst of some of the aggressive behaviours. Larger studies over a longer period of time are now needed to examine the full potential of muscle relaxation in helping reduce aggressive behaviour in handicapped patients. In the meantime, the researchers recommend that it may be used to complement existing forms of conventional treatment as it is perfectly safe, without any noticeable side effects.

Source : Arch Psychiatr Nurs 2000 Feb;14(1):39-46
Evaluating the effectiveness of progressive muscle relaxation in reducing the aggressive behaviors of mentally handicapped patients.
To MY, Chan S

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