Is There Anything Other Than Medication to Help Control Pain After Surgery?

— -- Question: Is there anything other than medication that may help control my pain after surgery?

Answer: After surgery it's possible to use other modalities besides pain medicines to help you be more comfortable. For example, if you have to move that arm but it really hurts, doing a breathing exercise by breathing in as you start to move and out as you go back can help. We know that breathing exercises help; and exercise, just a normal exercise, during healing is even more important. You can also use things like relaxation techniques. Some people like to picture themselves in another part of the country, or off on a vacation somewhere. We know that distraction helps pain. You can't help but be feeling better when you're laughing at a good comedy movie. And we also know that if you have pain and you try very hard to use massage or warm baths if that's allowed in your particular case, we can reduce pain in those ways, too.

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