Fixating on Pain
Pain
Do you have a client who is fixated on their pain? It feels like as soon as they see you, they automatically report pain. Why does exercise and activity have to be associated with pain? We need to educate our clients on pain management in the right way. Along with modalities and massage, mental imagery is often overlooked in treating pain.
Pain Management Goals
The general goal of treatment for individual’s with pain include improving quality of life. In order to achieve this goal, we must teach patients how to live with symptoms and educate on pain management. Involving family and caregivers in education and treatment is just as important to improve a patient’s overall quality of life.
Kinesiophobia
Individuals with pain may experience kinesiophobia, which is the fear of pain due to movement. This may lead to a hindrance in patient’s progress with therapy. It is important to build rapport with our patients early on and establish a therapeutic relationship to reduce kinesiophobia. Explain to the patient that exercise is a slow-paced program. The program will progress as you build trust with the patient and the patient can tolerate increased activity.
Mind-Body Connection
When working to reduce pain, we must acknowledge the mind-body connection. Comprehensive therapy treatment should involve neuroplasticity. We must teach our clients to quiet the mind. Clinicians should focus on calming the CNS with techniques such as relaxation, deep breathing techniques, mindfulness, visual imagery, and mirror therapy. The goal of these treatments is to decrease stress and fear of pain and to change the patient’s overall mental state. When working with client’s with pain, these techniques are very effective.
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