title: Relaxation as a means of pain control.
abstract: The effectiveness of relaxation techniques as a means of increasing pain threshold and pain tolerance and of decreasing anxiety was tested. Forty-two physiotherapy students were divided into experimental and control groups and tested on pain threshold, pain tolerance and anxiety. The 21 experimental group subjects were given one session of relaxation and then re-tested. Their results showed that a single session of relaxation significantly increased their pain threshold and pain tolerance and decreased their anxiety about the situation. No such changes were noted when the control group was re-tested.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Melbourne University.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Elton
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Melbourne University.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Stanley