Formal pain rehabilitation

Pain rehabilitation goes beyond medicine and medical interventions – and crosses different disciplines. It doesn't just focus on removing the pain. It focuses on the patient and how they can play a role in their own pain management - giving them control over the pain instead of letting the pain control them.
 
It’s a proven approach based on the biopsychosocial model of medicine – benefiting patients while reducing costs and reliance on the medical system.  
 
In addition to their general efficacy, these types of programs using interdisciplinary chronic pain rehabilitation can be effective at weaning patients off opioid therapy with long-term improvements in pain, mood, and function.
 
I was fortunate to attend the 3-week interdisciplinary Mayo Clinic Pain Rehabilitation Center – not just once, but twice. It was both a game-changer and a lifesaver for me. I highly recommend the program to anyone interested in taking an active role in managing their own care. You can read about my Mayo experience in this article.
 
More programs like this are needed to shift the current reliance on biomedical therapy towards a greater reliance on provider-supported patient self-management.
 
Availability is essential, but so is accessibility. These programs aren't cheap, and insurance companies can be hesitant to cover the cost. What payors need to remember is that these programs are cost-effective, with a 68% reduction in medical cost spending.
 
What to look for in a program
A pain rehabilitation program should focus on you as a person, not just your pain.  

Interdisciplinary pain rehabilitation programs that take place in the same facility, with health care providers working together through open communication and shared objectives, are the gold standard of comprehensive care and outperform medical pain services and less coordinated multidisciplinary programs.
 
A comprehensive pain rehabilitation program typically includes:
  • Medication management – To find the right combination of medicines and taper/stop any unnecessary medications.
  • Pain education – To help patients better understand the purpose of pain and how best to respond to it, reducing any fears that pain is a symptom of a serious health issue, and that activity will cause more damage.
  • Lifestyle changes – To improve diet and sleep.
  • Psychosocial intervention – To change self-limiting thoughts and provide coping skills using acceptance and commitment therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy.
  • Physical therapy/exercise – To build strength and endurance while reducing fear of exercise and activity.
  • Occupational therapy – To modify and moderate daily life activities.
  • Relaxation training – To reduce stress on the mind and body, easing the experience of pain.
  • Family therapy – To teach loved ones how to help/not help those in pain – encouraging self-efficacy and reducing pain behavior.
 
Learn more about pain rehabilitation Learn more about the Mayo Clinic Pain Rehabilitation Center (PRC)
Find a pain rehabilitation program
Please review and compare programs before attending - not all programs are the same. 
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