the effect of the combined intervention of low-intensity exercise and slow stroke back massage (ssbm) on physical activity and severity of fatigue in the patients undergoing chemotherapy

Background: cancer-related fatigue (crf) during chemotherapy and after it and decreased body energy are common problems in patients that do not resolve with sleep and rest. objectives: this study aimed to assess the effect of combination therapy of low-intensity exercise and slow stroke back massage (ssbm) on physical activity and fatigue intensity of patients undergoing chemotherapy. methods: this clinical trial study was performed on 92 patients with cancer undergoing chemotherapy who were referred to the oncology wards of baqhaiee-2 hospital ahvaz-iran (2018 - 2020). patients were randomly divided into two groups. intervention group patients who received three days a week for four weeks that each session 10 minutes for slow stroke back massage and 15 minutes’ low-intensity exercise. control group patients who received usual care. data were collected using a demographic questionnaire, piper fatigue scale (pfs), and international physical activity questionnaire (ipaq) and then analyzed using spss software. results: the results showed the intensity of fatigue decreased in the experimental group, and there was a statistically significant difference between the two groups (p = 0.05). the trend of physical activity increased in the experimental group; however, there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups (p = 0.68). conclusions: the combination of low-intensity exercise intervention and slow stroke back massage had a positive effect on fatigue severity but no statistically positive effect on physical activity.