Pain Management Programmes are courses that aim to help patients manage their pain better in the longer term.
A combination of psychological, physical and practical approaches is used to address pain and its effects on quality of life and day-to-day activities.
Pain Management Programmes have something to offer almost all patients with long-term pain. Sometimes patients think that because they have been suffering from pain for a long time, they must have found the best way to deal with it. However, someone looking at the situation from the outside can often make suggestions that haven’t been thought of by the patient in pain.
Pacing of activities is one area that Pain Management Programmes address. The principles may seem relatively straightforward, but putting those into practice can be difficult.
Pain Management Programmes are run by a team of healthcare professionals for a group of patients with long-term pain. There are usually ten or so patients in the groups. The courses vary in duration, but are often a few half days a week, over several weeks. The team of healthcare professionals can include psychologists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and nurses. The presence of psychologists can cause unease amongst prospective group members; this does not imply that pain is “all in the mind”, but rather that changing behaviours and thoughts caused by pain can be challenged.