Pain Rehabilitation
Acute pain is often a warning signal of injury or disease. Acute pain normally subsides following medical treatment and disease recovery. However, for a small proportion of patients, their pain becomes chronic despite medical investigations and interventions, without correctable cause, and is unresponsive to conventional treatments.
Chronic pain is frequently associated with cervical and low back conditions and disorders of the central or peripheral nervous system. Such uncontrolled and longstanding pain causes patients to withdraw into a downward spiral of anger, depression and despair. Pain patients’ mobility strength, flexibility and endurance decrease, often to the point that even minor activities may aggravate their pain.
Treatment Goals:
The Pain Rehabilitation Team helps individuals to accomplish the following goals:
- Regain physical strength and endurance necessary for full participation in life activities
- Reduce level of pain and, when possible, help patients become free of addicting drugs
- Regain control of their pain and their life
- Reestablish normal relationships with family and friends
- Overcome depression and anxiety
- Replace a self-image of disability with one of wellness
Our pain rehabilitation programme provides comprehensive specialised care for people experiencing chronic pain with an interdisciplinary team approach. Our Rehabilitation Specialist holds a Subspecialty Certification in Pain Medicine from the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
The Department’s interdisciplinary team works in a compassionate way to help people exceed their perceived limitations and replace harmful behaviours with healthy living habits. For each patient, they will carry out a comprehensive evaluation based on a review of their medical records from other institutions, detailed physical examination, special imaging studies and, if necessary, an electrodiagnostic examination. Based on this evaluation, they will recommend an intensive interdisciplinary rehabilitation programme, which may range in intensity from inpatient care to a few hours of outpatient care per week.
Treatment options may include physical rehabilitation to improve body mechanics, muscle strength, flexibility and endurance. Non-addicting medications will be prescribed to control pain, insomnia and depression. Occupational therapy and work hardening will also be provided to improve strength and endurance through the simulation of various work and leisure tasks. Some patients may benefit from clinical psychology evaluation, counselling and biofeedback training, with the goal of pain control to reduce muscle tension and nervous system arousal. Referrals for special intervention procedures such as nerve blocks or electrical spinal cord stimulation may be needed for selected patients.