From the Popular Press: What Your Patients are Reading:

According to the American Pain Society, millions of Americans suffer from chronic pain, often stemming from back pain, headaches, or fibromyalgia. Billions of dollars are spent each year on prescription drugs, doctor visits, herbal remedies, pain relief devices, and surgery, yet chronic pain sufferers have found little relief. A program at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, affiliated with Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, seeks to alleviate chronic pain by teaching sufferers how to manage their pain, instead of futilely attempting to cure patients. New research indicates that chronic pain sufferers’ brains do not rest as does a healthy person’s, possibly leading to sleep disturbances, mood changes, and difficulty making decisions. The program helps patients better understand their pain, and they learn to manage it using biologic, psychologic, and social approaches. Over the course of 4 weeks, patients meet with a physician, an occupational therapist, a physical therapist, a biofeedback therapist, a clinical psychologist, and a movement specialist. They learn new ways to move and exercise, deal with depression and sleep problems, and adjust their current medications. Patients also interact with other chronic pain sufferers, in an environment where patients learn from one another and from their physicians. One patient at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago reported after her 4-weeks at pain boot camp that she was regaining control of her life after letting pain from a back injury rule her life for the past year. Other pain rehabilitation programs exist around the country, but patients should look into a program’s credentials before paying to enroll, with costs often running up to $20,000. Consumers should look for programs affiliated with university medical centers and programs accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities.

Read the full text of the article on washingtonpost.com