COVİD-19 DÖNEMİNDE KEMOTERAPİ ALAN MEME KANSERLİ BİREYLERDE TELE-REHABİLİTASYON İLE YAPILAN GEVŞEME EGZERSİZLERİNİN ETKİLERİ

Abstract

The purpose of our study; to examine the effects of relaxation exercises performed by tele-rehabilitation on pain, fatigue, emotional state, quality of life, cognitive status, sleep quality and kinesiophobia in breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. A total of 52 patients, were allocated to the exercise group (n = 26) received 3 days/week, 6 weeks of relaxation training by tele-rehabilitation and to the control group (n = 26). The Brief Pain Inventory, Fatigue Impact Scale, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, EORTC-QOL-C30, FACT-Cog, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and Tampa Kinesiophobia Scale were utilized as measurements during the initial appointment and after six weeks of intervention. As a result of the study, positive improvements were found in the evaluation of pain (ZBPI-S: -2,308; ZBPI-I: -3,214; ZBPI-PE: -3,203), fatigue (Z: -2,385), emotional state (ZHAD-A: -2,945; ZHAD-D: -2,706) and sleep quality (Z: -3,776) in the group that received relaxation exercises compared to the control group (p<0.05). While positive changes were observed in the sub-parameters of quality of life (ZQOL-Symptom: -2,773) and cognitive status (ZFACT-COG-PCS: -2,619; ZFACT-COG-Total: -2,558) measurements between the groups (p<0.05), no change was found in kinesiophobia (Z: -1,492) measurements (p>0.05). As a result; relaxation exercises, applied by tele-rehabilitation in patients with breast cancer receiving chemotherapy, were positive on pain, fatigue, emotional state and sleep quality; On the other hand, it has partially positive effects on quality of life and cognitive status. Relaxation exercises, which can be performed through tele-rehabilitation, should be used as an alternative method to reduce the negative effects of chemotherapy in breast cancer patients, especially when hospital conditions are not available, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic.