APPLICATION OF PROGRESSIVE MUSCLE RELAXATION TECHNIQUES IN THE ELDERLY TO REDUCE HYPERTENSION IN THE WORKING AREA OF THE PEKAN HERAN PUBLIC HEALTH CENTER

Abstrak

Hypertension is often found in the elderly, Hypertension is a condition without 
symptoms, where abnormally high pressure in the arteries causes an increased 
risk of stroke, heart failure, heart attack and kidney damage. The number of 
visits by elderly patients at UPTD Puskesmas Pekan Heran with cases of 
hypertension in 2024 will be 569 people. Non pharmacological therapies such 
as progressive muscle relaxation techniques have been proven to be effective 
in helping lower blood pressure. Objective: To describe blood pressure before 
and after applying progressive muscle relaxation techniques. Method: A case 
study was conducted on two elderly people who met the inclusion criteria, 
which was carried out on April 14-18 2025. The progressive muscle relaxation 
technique was given for five consecutive days, once a day for 15 minutes. Blood 
pressure was measured before and after the intervention. Results: Subject 1 
experienced a decrease in blood pressure from 164/103 mmHg to 140/90 
mmHg. Subject 2 experienced a decrease from 219/73 mmHg to 191/71 mmHg 
after applying the progressive muscle relaxation technique. Conclusion: The 
progressive muscle relaxation technique is effective in helping to lower blood 
pressure in elderly people with hypertension and can be used as a non 
pharmacological nursing intervention that is easy, safe, and without side 
effects.