Chronic Pain
The chronic pain team has specialised in the rehabilitation of individuals with chronic pain, with or without known pathology. The aim is for individuals to live as normal life as possible despite the presence of pain.
Treatment
Individuals awaiting treatment are offered to attend an introductory and educational meeting with the treatment team. The aim is to prepare individuals and to encourage them to start working with their situation as soon as possible.
Admission is in two phases. Firstly patients attend four days of assessment and evaluation. Problems are identified, goals specified, and plans for treatment made. The focus is on increased physical activity and participation in day-to-day activities that patients can work on for 6-8 weeks prior to the second stage, which is a 4-5 week admission.
During the 4-5 week admission, the emphasis is on individualized programs, involving lifestyle changes, education about pain management, balanced lifestyle, and sleep. The focus is on increased physical activity and exercises which increases pain tolerance.
In the 2-week pain management course, patients are taught to examine what they can do to affect their pain perception. Education is in the form of seminars and practical exercises. Some patients are taught to apply cognitive behavioural methods to deal with negative emotions that commonly are associated with chronic pain, and in some instances, workplaces are visited with a view to adopting more supportive work practices.
Follow-up varies in accordance with individual needs.
