Applied Relaxation in the Management of Chronic Pain

Abstract

Seventeen chronic pain patients at a rehabilitation center participated in an investigation of the effects of applied relaxation on chronic pain. The experimental group received regular rehabilitation treatment plus intensive training in applied relaxation. One control group received the regular rehabilitation treatment only, while another control group consisted of patients waiting for treatment. Results indicated that the applied relaxation group did significantly better than the control group(s) on measures of subjective pain, medication intake, activity, and overall evaluation of the treatments. This suggests that applied relaxation can be a valuable addition to chronic pain treatment programs.