RELIEF OF DENTAL PAIN BY ICE MASSAGE OF THE HAND

  • 1 January 1980
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 122  (2) , 189-191
Abstract
Patients suffering from acute dental pain were treated with ice massage of the web between the thumb and index finger of the had on the same side as the painful region. Control groups received tactile massage alone or with explicit suggestion that the massage was intended to alleviate their pain. Changes in pain intensity produced by the procedures were measured with the McGill Pain Questionnaire. Ice massage decreased the intensity of the dental pain by 50% or more in the majority of patients. Pain reductions produced by ice massage were significantly larger than those produced by tactile massage alone or with explicit suggestion. Ice massage has pain-reducing effects comparable to those of transcutaneous electrical stimulation and acupuncture. The fact that cold signals are transmitted to the spinal cord exclusively by A-.delta. fibres and not by C fibers provides a potential method for differentiating the various feedback systems that mediate analgesia produced by different forms of intense sensory input. Ice massage provides a simple method for the palliative control of pain in dental clinics.