Effectiveness of Progressive Muscle Relaxation in Reducing Competitive Anxiety in Athletes: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Introduction: Athletes often experience high pressure during competitions, leading to competitive anxiety, which affects performance. Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) is a technique that may help reduce anxiety in athletes. This review evaluates the effectiveness of PMR in lowering anxiety levels.
Methods: A systematic review was conducted using Google Scholar, PubMed, and Scopus, selecting 10 studies published between 2020 and 2025 with 337 participants. Inclusion criteria included experimental studies involving athletes with anxiety disorders, and the intervention was PMR. The studies were assessed using the PEDro scale, and a narrative synthesis was applied.
Results: The review found that PMR significantly reduced anxiety levels in athletes, showing effectiveness in both somatic and cognitive anxiety.
Conclusion: PMR is effective in reducing anxiety in athletes compared to other techniques. When implementing PMR, age, athletic experience, and competition level should be considered. Overall, PMR is a recommended mental training tool for reducing anxiety and optimizing performance in athletes.

Keywords: Progressive Muscle Relaxation, Athletes, Anxiety