Pain Rehabilitation Program

What to Expect with the IU Health Pain Rehabilitation Program

At IU Health, we bring together experts across several specialties to address your chronic pain. Our 3-week intensive outpatient program is offered at IU Health Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis. The program is recommended after a multidisciplinary consultation through the Pain Navigation service with providers including Physical Medicine, Pain Psychology and Physical Therapy.

We take a whole-person approach to your concerns. That means during the program, you’ll have access to several evidence-based treatment interventions including:

• Pain psychology (group and individual)
• Group Physical and occupational therapy
• Medication consultation
• Complementary therapies (availability may vary) including yoga, massage therapy, spiritual group, mindful movement, expressive writing, art therapy, acupuncture group, nutrition and peer recovery services
• Social work

You are an important member of your care team. This program wants you to take an active role in your care. If you are participating in the program, you’ll be expected to attend each day of the program so that you can experience its full benefits.

What is chronic pain?

Chronic pain is pain that persists beyond the usual tissue healing time in the presence of an injury. Chronic pain can also be pain that persists beyond the usual recovery time from an illness. Chronic pain can even occur in the absence of tissue injury, in response to perceived threat.

Chronic pain may be local or widespread, may change in intensity, location, or frequency, i.e. constant or comes/ goes.

Who could benefit from the Pain Rehabilitation Program?

Chronic pain may cause sleep impairments, hypersensitivity, chronic fatigue, chronic muscle tension, poor concentration, poor activity tolerance, deconditioning due to physical decline, and emotional changes that cause difficulty with activities of daily living.

Finding effective treatment for chronic pain can be difficult and frustrating. The most common treatments (e.g. medications, injections, surgeries) aim to relieve pain (usually temporarily) instead of addressing the root causes of distress.

The Pain Rehabilitation Program offers a different, holistic approach to treating chronic pain and improving function, with a focus on self-reliance and lifestyle modifications.

This program may be right for you if you answer “Yes” to any of the following statements:

• My life is focused on pain and what I am unable to do, rather than what I can do despite the pain.
• My doctors tell me there is nothing further they can do to relieve the pain.
• I am concerned about the long-term effects of taking medication for pain.
• My doctors tell me that I need to do more on my own to treat my pain.
• My family’s well-being is affected because of my pain.
• My recovery from injury or illness is taking much longer than my doctors or I expected.
• I am not able to commit to social events with family or friends because of my pain.

Program Goals

At our program, we want to improve your function and your quality of life if you live with chronic pain. We do this by emphasizing holistic wellness.

Some of our goals include:

• Increasing daily activity
• Building physical strength, stamina and flexibility
• Balancing medications with other approaches to treating pain
• Learning stress relief through a variety of techniques
• Returning to work or other important activities

Our Approach

We offer a variety of treatments and therapies to help each person achieve their individual goals. Our program includes:

Physical Therapy & Occupational Therapy

Your physical therapy program will include 45-minute sessions 2-3 times a week in a group setting for the duration of the 3-week program.

You will be evaluated by a physical therapist before starting the program. Physical therapy will address mobility, strength, endurance, and balance for your individual needs with a strong focus on pacing, pain education, and movement modifications.

Occupational therapy program will include 45-minute sessions, 2 times a week in a group setting for the duration of the 3-week program. You will be evaluated by an occupational therapist before starting the program.

Occupational therapy will address your ability to perform daily activities with strategies that include ergonomic modifications, pacing, breathing, and energy conservation techniques.

Psychological Treatment for Pain

Many people who face chronic pain also face depression, anxiety or other mental health conditions. We use research-based treatments to help individuals with chronic pain. Our psychology group education and therapy sessions are an essential component of treatment. Group therapy is focused on how thoughts, feelings and behaviors impact life with chronic pain.

Group therapy sessions topics include:

• Positive pain coping
• Communication
• Cycle of chronic pain
• Adapting to change
• Hurt versus harm
• Social impact of pain

Medication Consultation

Medications have been an important part of the treatment plan for many people with chronic pain. While we recognize the significant role of medications in treating pain, we emphasize that medications are only one part of a complete plan for pain management.

Our nurse practitioner will meet with each person at least once during the program to work on a personalized plan of care. We will help you understand your medications as part of a greater plan to improve functioning and make recommendations for additional imaging, lab work or interventions.

Complementary Treatments

We also use complementary therapies to address the several ways chronic pain has negatively affected your wellbeing. These may include:

• Nutrition groups led by a registered dietician
• Meditation groups with a certified yoga instructor
• Music therapy with a music therapist
• Spiritual counseling led by an IU Health chaplain
• Massage by a licensed massage therapist

Aftercare Planning

Our goal is that every patient completes the program with skills and strategies to use in their home environment. We offer a group dedicated to discharge planning to ensure that while learning, you are also preparing for the end of the program. After you graduate from the program, you are invited to attend our monthly support group as well as schedule individual pain psychology follow-up sessions.