Although there is limited scientific data to support some of these methods, the risks associated with using them are minimal. Moreover, many of these methods can be used any place or any time and some of them don't cost anything. Therefore, many of these techniques are worth trying because they might help give you more control of your pain. Relaxation relieves pain or keeps it from getting worse by reducing tension in the muscles. It can help you fall asleep, give you more energy, make you less tired, reduce your anxiety, and make other pain relief methods work better.
Relaxation can include quiet breathing, deep breathing, or progressive relaxation.
Progressive relaxation is a technique used to reduce cancer pain in specific areas of the body. This technique entails lying down and successively clenching and releasing individual muscle groups, eventually focusing on those involved with the pain. This can work especially well while waiting for pain medications to take effect. Audiotapes are widely available to teach imagery and visualization skills. Skin stimulation is the use of pressure, friction, temperature change, or chemical substances such as menthol to excite the nerve endings in the skin.