Comparative study of the effects of muscle relaxation and mental imagery techniques on pain intensity in patients with the second-degree burn wounds

Abstract

Background & Aim: Pain is a major problem after burn injury. Therapeutic practices do not provide suffi-cient pain relief for patients with burn. Therefore, non-pharmacological interventions such as muscle relaxa-tion and mental imagery can be effective in reducing pain. This study aimed to compare the effects of mus-cle relaxation and mental imagery techniques on pain intensity in patients with second-degree burn. Methods & Materials: This was a clinical trial study using convenience-sampling method of 135 patients with burn assigned into two groups of experiment, and control group. Pain intensity was measured in the control group on the first and second day after burn injury before and after dressing besides routine practices without any interventions. When the patients in control group were dis-charged, the patients in the men wards 1 and 2 were trained in Benson’s muscle relaxation technique and the mental imagery technique, respectively, and patients’ pain intensity was measured. Then, the mean scores of pain intensity were compared between three groups. Results: There was no significant difference between three groups in the mean scores of pain intensi-ty before and after dressing on the first day of burn injury and before dressing on the second day of burn injury (P > 0.05). A significant difference was observed in the mean score of pain intensity after dressing on the second day of burn (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the mean score of pain intensity between the two experimental groups. Conclusion: Both techniques reduced burn patients’ pain, and mental imagery had more reducing effect on pain intensity.

Keywords

• muscle relaxation
• mental imagery
• pain intensity
• second degree burn