Living with chronic pain can greatly impact daily life. Chronic pain is like a malfunctioning alarm system; our nervous system becomes too sensitive and amplifies pain signals. When it goes on for months or years, it can become a vicious cycle with negative physical, mental health and lifestyle effects that can make coping even more difficult.

What is considered chronic pain? 

Chronic pain is pain that has been present for over six months and persists beyond the expected healing time for an injury or surgery. It can occur after an injury, surgery, illness or sometimes without a clear cause.  Regardless of the reason, knowing when you need help is key to reducing your pain in the long term.

“Chronic pain can drastically change your life,” says Chronic Pain Management Program clinical lead and physical therapist Adrienne Connor. “Patients who come to us have often gone through many evaluations and attempted medical treatments, including alternative strategies, with little to no long-term relief.” 

This kind of pain is considered life-altering and can cause a decline in:

• The ability to sleep, causing fatigue.
• Activity due to weakness, balance or coordination issues, stiffness or poor posture.
• Ability to function at work or during daily activities.
• Mood, increasing depression or anxiety.
• Concentration, memory or focus.
• Motivation to socialize or maintain relationships.
• Financial stability.

What is chronic pain management?

Getting help for managing chronic pain can give people tools for healthy self-management of their pain, gain a more adaptive life, and the ability to reduce their dependence on health care. Most importantly, it gives them hope, learning that pain is not a barrier to daily activity.

Chronic pain management uses a biopsychosocial approach with an interdisciplinary team of doctors, physical therapists, psychologists and nursing coordinators. Focusing on the medical, psychological and physical strategies needed to improve quality of life, the goal is to reduce the pain and improve overall function.

“A chronic pain management program will focus on treating the whole person, not just the pain,” says Connor. “It can be frightening not to know why our pain is persisting, so it’s therapeutic for patients to start a chronic pain management program that can help them understand all of the factors related to their pain.”

The Nebraska Medicine Chronic Pain Management Program

The Nebraska Medicine Chronic Pain Management Program is a four-week, all-day program held Monday through Friday. With a focus on teaching self-management tools (instead of merely treating symptoms), the individualized treatment plan includes three goals:

• Improve physical function.
• Learn techniques to manage pain.
• Evaluate medications, including tapering those that are making it more difficult to manage chronic pain.

Treatment also involves individual and small-group sessions led by physical therapists, psychologists and nurses. To further support patients, they are also mentored by fellow participants who have experience in the program.

“We start patients out gradually with slow physical reactivation,” says Connor. “Pain management education and relaxation training are also an important part of the program. We don’t start any medications during the program. Patients need to realize that the improvements they experience are achieved through their own efforts, not new medications, which builds self-efficacy. Our patients are often surprised by how their nervous system has calmed and their mood has improved over the four weeks.”

Various measures of pain and pain-related function are taken at the beginning and upon completion of the program. Data shows that patients report a one-third reduction in pain and pain interference, and depression scores decrease by over 50%.

After completion, patients receive three months of free access to the program to reinforce their pain management skills. Additional options, such as bi-monthly support groups, are available to provide continued support.

“I know a commitment to something this intensive can be scary,” says Connor. “But we excel at helping patients improve by looking at our patients as a whole person, not just one part of the body that hurts. Our patients describe it as life-changing and are amazed at how much they accomplished and how much of their life they have back.”