Effectiveness of intradialytic leg stretching exercises to reduce muscle cramps among patients undergoing hemodialysis

Abstract

Muscle cramp is one of the most frequent problems experienced by patients during hemodialysis who have low functional capacity, decreased muscle strength, and fatigue and are associated with poor health-related quality of life. Providing exercises reduce muscle cramps by improving muscle strength and flexibility. Workouts also increase blood flow and open capillary surface areas, thereby increasing waste removal. To evaluate the effectiveness of intradialytic exercises to reduce the frequency and intensity of muscle cramps among patients undergoing hemodialysis, a preexperiment, one group pre-test, and a post-test study were conducted on 60 patients who confirmed the inclusion and exclusion criteria recruited consecutively. A structured interview schedule, self-developed muscle cramps assessment proforma, and visual analogue scale were used after getting approved by the ethical committee and taking permission from hospital authorities. Intradialytic active and passive leg exercises were performed as per the developed protocol. A post-test was conducted after a follow-up period of 6 weeks. Data analysis was done using descriptive and inferential statistics. The result shows a significant decrease in the frequency and pain intensity of muscle cramps after exercise. There was no significant association of muscle cramps with the selected socio-demographic and clinical variables, except in post-intervention with sedentary lifestyles. The muscle cramps were more among patients with sedentary lifestyles than non-sedentary. Intradialytic stretching leg exercises were highly effective in reducing muscle cramps' frequency and pain intensity. Nurses must include this program as a part of routine care for all patients after assessing risks subjected to hemodialysis.