The Effect of Massage and Progressive Relaxation Exercises on Pain Intensity and Menstrual Symptoms in Students With Primary Dysmenorrhea

A total of 97 female students, 50 in the intervention group and 47 in the control group, were included in this pretest-posttest design randomized controlled study. Massage and progressive relaxation exercises are self-administered practices that are easy to adopt, with no side effects, and have beneficial effects on pain, sweating, fatigue, and gastrointestinal and central nervous system signs. So, it can be asserted that when applied together, massage and progressive relaxation exercises could be more effective in reducing menstrual symptoms than applying them separately.