Effect of handheld finger-grip relaxation technique and guided imagery for managing postoperative pain

Background: Finger-grip relaxation is a non-pharmacological technique that can help reduce pain. This method is very simple and can be performed by anyone. Guided imagery is another technique that induces a relaxation effect on the body and can also alleviate pain. Guided imagery is performed by using an individual’s imagination in a guided way. Purpose: To understand the nursing care involving finger-grip relaxation combined with guided imagery in reducing the intensity of post-laparotomy pain. Method: A case study with a descriptive design and a nursing care process approach was applied involving a sample of five individuals. Non-pharmacological pain reduction techniques were carried out by applying finger-grip relaxation and guided imagery interventions for three consecutive days, with each session lasting approximately 15 minutes per day. Pain levels were measured before and after the therapy using the numeric rating scale. Results: Participant characteristics data showed an average age with a standard deviation of (29.4 ± 8.173), with ages ranging from 18 to 41 years. The majority of participants were female (60.0%). After non-pharmacological finger-grip relaxation and guided imagery interventions were conducted on five patients with post-laparotomy pain, results indicated a shift in pain levels from moderate to mild pain. On the first day, the first participant showed a pain scale reduction from 6 pre-intervention to 2 after three days of consecutive finger-grip relaxation. Similarly, participants 2, 3, 4, and 5 showed reductions in pain intensity, with the lowest pain scale observed being 1 on the third day. Conclusion: The application of finger-grip relaxation and guided imagery techniques is effective in reducing pain levels. Recommendations: This study is expected to provide a reference for the necessity of complementary therapy interventions to optimize post-operative patient care in hospitals. Additionally, the results of finger-grip relaxation combined with guided imagery interventions may be applied in clinical nursing practice within educational institutions.