THE EFFECT OF FINGER HANDS RELAXATION THERAPY ON REDUCING PAIN INTENSITY IN GOUT ARTHRITIS PATIENTS IN THE WORKING AREA OF GAYAMAN PUBLIC HEALTH CENTER, MOJOKERTO REGENCY

Abstract

Gout arthritis is an inflammatory joint disease caused by monosodium urate crystal deposition, resulting in pain and impaired daily activities. Finger grip relaxation therapy is a non-pharmacological nursing intervention to reduce pain. This study aimed to analyze the effect of finger grip relaxation therapy on pain intensity among gout arthritis patients at the Gayaman Community Health Center, Mojokerto Regency. A pre-experimental one-group pretest-posttest design was used. The population consisted of 132 patients, with 32 respondents selected through consecutive sampling. Pain intensity was measured using the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) and analyzed with the Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test. Before the intervention, most respondents experienced moderate pain (53.1%), while after therapy most reported mild pain (71.9%). The Wilcoxon test showed a significant reduction in pain intensity (p < 0.05). Finger grip relaxation therapy is an effective non-pharmacological nursing intervention for reducing pain intensity in patients with gout arthritis.