Find a Pain Rehabilitation Program
Finding the right chronic pain rehabilitation program can be an important step for people living with persistent pain who want to become more active in managing their condition.
This page focuses particularly on formal pain rehabilitation and interdisciplinary programs, while also providing examples of pain services that may be useful starting points for further research.
Not All Pain Programs Are the Same
Programs can differ substantially in their goals, treatment approaches, intensity, duration, professional team, and degree of coordination.
A pain clinic may offer individual consultations or procedures without providing a formal pain rehabilitation program. If you are specifically looking for rehabilitation, ask whether the program is structured, interdisciplinary, and focused on improving function and self-management.
Program availability, services, eligibility requirements, costs, and insurance coverage can change. Confirm current information directly with the program.
What Should You Look for in a Pain Rehabilitation Program?
Interdisciplinary Care
Look for professionals from different disciplines who communicate with one another and work toward shared, individualized goals.
A Whole-Person Approach
A comprehensive program considers biological, psychological, social, and functional factors that may influence pain and recovery.
Active Self-Management
Look for programs that help participants develop practical skills and confidence for managing pain outside the healthcare setting.
Pain Education
Contemporary pain education can help people develop a better understanding of pain and respond to it in more useful and constructive ways.
Functional Goals
Rehabilitation should consider what the person wants to be able to do, not simply whether a pain score has decreased.
Individualized Care
A good program should recognize that people have different medical histories, circumstances, goals, abilities, and responses to treatment.
What Is Formal Pain Rehabilitation?
Formal pain rehabilitation is more than a series of separate appointments. It is a structured, coordinated approach in which multiple healthcare professionals work together toward shared, individualized goals.
Formal programs are often designed for people whose chronic pain has significantly affected physical function, daily activities, quality of life, or participation in the activities that matter to them.
Rather than focusing exclusively on eliminating pain, rehabilitation typically emphasizes improving function, developing self-management skills, increasing confidence, and helping people return to a more active and meaningful life.
Depending on the program and the individual's needs, formal pain rehabilitation may include:
- Medical assessment and management to address relevant medical issues and coordinate treatment.
- Physical rehabilitation including exercise, movement, conditioning, and gradual increases in activity.
- Occupational therapy addressing daily activities, routines, energy management, pacing, adaptation, and participation.
- Pain psychology using evidence-informed approaches to address coping, distress, fear, behavior, and other factors affecting function.
- Pain education to improve understanding of pain and develop more useful strategies for responding to symptoms.
- Medication review and management when appropriate, coordinated with the broader rehabilitation plan.
- Active self-management so participants can practice and continue using their skills outside the program.
What May Be Included in a Formal Program?
Formal pain rehabilitation programs vary in structure and intensity. A comprehensive program may combine several components rather than relying on one treatment alone.
- Medical care — evaluation, medication review, treatment planning, and coordination with other healthcare providers.
- Pain education — information about pain, the nervous system, pain mechanisms, and strategies for responding to persistent pain.
- Physical therapy and exercise — movement, conditioning, strength, endurance, and building confidence with activity.
- Occupational therapy — strategies for daily activities, routines, pacing, energy management, and participation.
- Psychological or behavioral support — evidence-informed strategies addressing coping, distress, fear, behavior, and adjustment when appropriate.
- Medication management — review of medications, benefits, risks, interactions, and appropriateness when relevant.
- Self-management training — helping participants develop practical skills that can continue after the program ends.
Pain Management Is Not Always the Same as Pain Rehabilitation
The terms pain management, multidisciplinary pain care, and pain rehabilitation are sometimes used interchangeably, but programs can differ substantially.
A clinic may provide several pain treatments without offering a formal rehabilitation program. When searching specifically for formal pain rehabilitation, look for a coordinated interdisciplinary team, structured education and self-management, physical rehabilitation, psychological or behavioral support when appropriate, and clearly defined functional goals.
Some formal programs are intensive and time-limited, while others are delivered on an outpatient or less intensive basis. The structure varies by program.
Find Formal Pain Rehabilitation Programs
The programs below are examples of formal pain rehabilitation, interdisciplinary pain programs, and related services in several countries. They are provided as starting points for your own research, not as endorsements or guarantees.
United States
Australia
Canada
England
New Zealand
Can't find a program near you? Ask your primary care provider, pain specialist, rehabilitation professional, or local hospital whether an interdisciplinary pain rehabilitation or functional restoration program is available in your area.
Programs may use different names, including pain rehabilitation, pain management, functional restoration, or interdisciplinary pain management.
Questions to Ask Before Choosing a Program
A few questions can help you compare programs
- Does the program provide formal pain rehabilitation?
- What healthcare professionals are part of the program?
- Do the providers communicate and work toward shared goals?
- How long does the program last and how intensive is it?
- Is the program focused on improving function and self-management as well as addressing pain?
- What type of pain education is provided?
- Does the program include physical therapy or exercise?
- Does it include psychological or behavioral support?
- Is occupational therapy available?
- How are medications reviewed and managed?
- What functional outcomes does the program measure?
- What are the total costs and what does insurance cover?
- What are the admission criteria and referral requirements?
My Experience With Formal Pain Rehabilitation
I attended the three-week interdisciplinary Mayo Clinic Pain Rehabilitation Center program twice. The experience changed how I understood chronic pain and, more importantly, how I approached living with it.
Pain rehabilitation did not make my pain disappear. It helped me develop a different relationship with pain and gave me practical tools for becoming more active in managing my condition.
My experience is one person's perspective, not a guarantee of what another person will experience. The right approach depends on the individual.
READ ABOUT MY EXPERIENCE AT MAYO CLINIC →Finding the right program may take some research. Look for formal pain rehabilitation that treats you as a whole person, supports active self-management, and helps you move toward greater function and the life you want to live.
All information is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Use at your own risk.
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