[Durgical](https://durgical.com/en/) › [DurgiPedia](https://durgical.com/en/durgipedia/) › [Nursing](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/) › [Adult health and psychosocial care](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/areas/adult-health/) › Non-drug pain relief: what nurses do # Non-drug pain relief: what nurses do - Safe practice Positioning, heat or cold, distraction, relaxation, presence and education ease pain alongside medicines, not instead of them. Updated Nov 12, 2026 ## Key points - They complement analgesia; they do not replace treating the cause or the prescribed medicines. - Heat dilates vessels and relaxes muscle; cold constricts vessels and numbs. Always with a barrier and time limits. - Positioning and pillows relieve pressure on joints and bony areas. - Evidence is mixed: moderate or small benefit for some measures in some pains, limited for others. It is presented cautiously. - Reassess with the same pain scale and record the result in the care plan. ## What it is Non-drug measures are used with or without analgesics and are part of the care plan. The nurse can apply many of them directly: comfortable positioning and support with pillows, heat (it dilates vessels and relaxes muscle) or cold (it constricts vessels and numbs), a short massage, distraction, relaxation and breathing, music, a calm environment, presence and teaching the patient and family about pain. The evidence varies by technique and by type of pain: for some chronic pain, relaxation, mindfulness and music show moderate or small benefits; for many measures the studies are limited. What matters at the bedside is to agree a goal with the patient, apply the measure safely and reassess the effect with the same pain scale. ## What it requires - A pain assessment first, with the scale the institution uses. - A comfort–function goal agreed with the patient. - Checking skin, sensation and the ability to report discomfort before heat or cold. - The patient's preferences: some measures (touch, music, prayer) carry personal or cultural meaning. ## Components - Physical: positioning, heat, cold, massage, gentle movement. - Cognitive and behavioural: distraction, relaxation, breathing, guided imagery, music. - Relational: presence, reassurance without false promises, involving the family. - Education: what causes the pain, what to expect, how to use the plan and when to ask for help. - Environment: light, noise, temperature, avoiding sudden movement. ## How it is applied (and why) - Assess the pain (site, intensity, character) with the usual scale: it gives the baseline to judge the measure. - Ask what has helped before and what the patient prefers: chosen measures work better. - Reposition and support with pillows, avoiding pressure on bony areas: staying in one position increases pain. - For heat or cold, check skin and sensation, put a cloth barrier and limit the time (usually 15–20 minutes). - During heat or cold, check the skin every few minutes in patients who cannot report discomfort: it prevents burns. - Offer distraction, music or slow breathing exercises: they shift attention and reduce tension. - Stay with the patient and explain what is happening and what to expect: fear and uncertainty raise pain. - Teach the patient and family the plan and how to report pain early: early treatment is more effective. - Reassess with the same scale and record the effect: measures that do not help are changed. ## In nursing practice - Do not apply heat or cold on areas with poor sensation, poor circulation, broken skin or a medicated patch. - Do not massage red or swollen areas. - Combining a non-drug measure with the prescribed analgesia often gives better relief than either alone. - New pain, sudden severe pain or chest pain is reported at once: it is not managed only with comfort measures. ## Common mistakes - Using non-drug measures to delay prescribed analgesia. - Putting an ice pack or hot pack directly on the skin, or leaving it too long. - Not reassessing, so the plan never changes. - Promising that a technique «will take the pain away». ## Test yourself Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it. ## How do heat and cold relieve pain? Heat dilates blood vessels, increases blood flow and relaxes muscle; cold constricts blood vessels and numbs the nerve endings. ## Which precautions apply when using heat or cold? Check skin and sensation, use a cloth barrier, limit the time (usually 15–20 minutes), check the skin often, and avoid areas with poor sensation, poor circulation or broken skin. ## How strong is the evidence for non-drug pain measures? It varies: some, such as relaxation, mindfulness or music, show moderate or small benefits for some types of pain; for many others the evidence is limited. They are used as a complement. [Add to my cards (3)](https://durgical.app/estudiar/?add=/en/nursing/non-drug-pain-relief-what-nurses-do/) ## Connections ## Related 4 - [Pain assessment scales: numeric, visual analogue, faces, behavioural (FLACC) and in dementia](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/pain-assessment-scales-numeric-visual-analogue-faces-behavioural-and-in-dementia/) - [Heat and cold applications, and hypothermia and hyperthermia blankets](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/heat-and-cold-applications-and-hypothermia-and-hyperthermia-blankets/) - [Patient positions: Fowler, supine, lateral, prone and others](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/patient-positions-fowler-supine-lateral-prone-and-others/) - [Patient education and teach-back](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/patient-education-and-teach-back/) [← All of nursing](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/) Educational content for students; it does not replace your institution's protocols, supervised clinical training or a prescriber's order. Dose-calculation examples use made-up numbers: they are educational, not a clinical order. Sources: [Nursing Fundamentals, 11.4: Pain management](https://med.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Nursing/Nursing_Fundamentals_(OpenRN)/11%3A_Comfort/11.04%3A_Pain_Management) (Open RN, Wisconsin Technical College System (CC BY 4.0), LibreTexts, 2021); [Nursing Fundamentals, 11.5: Comfort, applying the nursing process](https://med.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Nursing/Nursing_Fundamentals_(OpenRN)/11%3A_Comfort/11.05%3A_Applying_the_Nursing_Process) (Open RN, Wisconsin Technical College System (CC BY 4.0), LibreTexts, 2021); [Nursing Assistant, 6.4: Comfort measures](https://med.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Nursing/Nursing_Assistant_(Reuter)/06%3A_Provide_for_Basic_Nursing_Care_Needs/6.04%3A_Comfort_Measures) (Chippewa Valley Technical College (CC BY 4.0), LibreTexts, 2022); [Chronic pain: what you need to know](https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/chronic-pain-what-you-need-to-know) (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), NIH, 2024). ## **Spotted a mistake?** We are always improving for the community. Tell us what is wrong and our team will review it. Report a mistake Representative model, for educational purposes only. --- Source: https://durgical.com/en/nursing/non-drug-pain-relief-what-nurses-do/ License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Cite as: DurgiPedia (durgical.com), https://durgical.com/en/nursing/non-drug-pain-relief-what-nurses-do/