Iranian Journal of Rehabilitation Research in Nursing

Introduction: Fatigue is the most common symptom of multiple sclerosis and the most common complaint in elderlies, which reduces the quality of life. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of slow stroke back massage on fatigue in elderly patients with multiple sclerosis living in Kahrizak Charity Foundation in 2014.

Methods: This was a quasi-experimental study, with one group before and after. The population consisted of 18 elderly male and female residents in Kahrizak Charity Foundation. Available sampling was performed based on the inclusion criteria, and for each individual, slow stroke back massage was applied for 20 minutes, in even days during a four-week period. Questionnaires were provided for demographic information and a questionnaire was used to assess fatigue. Fatigue was measured three times; before the intervention, at the end of the sixth session, and at the end of the twelfth session. Data Analysis was performed by SPSS version 16, and the statistical tests of Shapiro-Wilkes, repeated ANOVA and Friedman, Wilcoxon and Bonferroni, and U-Mann Whitney were used.

Results: Of the study population, 55.6 % were female and 44.4% were male. The mean of age was 64.55. The mean scores of fatigue in pre- and post-tests were 50.2 and 44.3 respectively, and it was 40.5 at the end of the sixth session. The results of this study showed that fatigue had a significant difference before and after the intervention and slow stroke back massage was effective for reducing fatigue (P < 0.001).

Conclusions: Fatigue is highly prevalent in elderly patients with multiple sclerosis. The implementation of slow stroke back massage by caregivers and nurses, which is a tolerable and light intervention style for the elderlies, can be effective in reducing their fatigue.