Study Finds Therapeutic Techniques May Help Alleviate Pain in Hospital Patients

Massage therapy can help treat patientsPatients recovering from surgery in the hospital typically feel a high amount of pain. that feature nutrients such as bromelain may help curb the pain without the harmful side effects that can come with prescription medication.

According to a new study published in the Journal of Patient Safety, physicians who treat their patients with non-drug techniques may effectively stop their discomfort.

Treatments such as relaxation response, acupuncture, acupressure, massage, music and aromatherapy and reflexology were administered to 1,837 caridiovascular, medical, surgical, orthopedic, spin, rehabilitation, oncology and women’s health patients at Abbott Northwestern.

It was found that a high number of patients experienced up to 50 percent less pain than before, giving hope to the researchers that there may be alternative treatments other than prescription drugs, which some physicians are hesitant to prescribe.

“We struggle to provide effective pain control while trying to avoid the adverse effects of opioid medications, such as respiratory depression, nausea, constipation, dizziness and falls,” said one of the study’s authors, Dr. Gregory Plotnikoff.ADNFCR-1960-ID-19662519-ADNFCR