Effectiveness of localized vibration therapy on restless legs syndrome severity and sleep quality in hemodialysis patients: a randomized controlled trial
Abstract
Background & objective: Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a common sensory and motor issue in patients on regular hemodialysis that contributes to sleep disturbances and impairs quality of life. This study aimed to find out whether vibration therapy improves RLS and related sleep quality in patients receiving hemodialysis.
Methodology: This clinical randomized controlled trial included 70 patients undergoing hemodialysis equally distributed into a study (interventional) group (receiving vibration therapy) and a control group (receiving routine care only) using a block randomization technique. Arabic version of the Restless Legs Syndrome Rating Scale was used to assess the RLS severity, and the Brief Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index was used to assessed the sleep quality. These scales were used over three period of measurements (pretest, posttest one and posttest two).
Results: the study results demonstrate that the vibration therapy had a consistent and significant effect in reducing the RLS severity (P < 0.001) as well as enhancing sleep quality (P < 0.001) within the study group over time. While the control group did not present significant improvement across all three measures.
Conclusion: The study results demonstrates that vibration therapy was effective in significantly reducing the severity of RLS and improving sleep quality among the study group participants, while the control group showed no meaningful change over time.
Keywords: Hemodialysis, End Stage Renal Disease, Sleep quality, Restless legs syndrome
Citation: Shraida AA, Mohammed WK. Effectiveness of localized vibration therapy on restless legs syndrome severity and sleep quality in hemodialysis patients: a randomized controlled trial. Anaesth. pain intensive care 2026;30(3):342-349. DOI: 10.35975/apic.v30i3.3173
Received: January 26, 2026; Revised: January 30; 2026; Accepted: January 31, 2026
