Pain
Specialist Physio
Our treatment approach takes a whole-person view of health.
Our focus in not on "quick fixes" to alleviate symptoms, but instead it is a focus on supporting
patients to regain confidence in their bodies, to learn skills and strategies…
Physiotherapy for Chronic Pain and Chronic Illness Management
Chronic health problems can be very distressing, exhausting and it can disrupt many aspects of a person's life. Pain that persists or recurs for three months or longer is termed "Chronic Pain" or "Persistent Pain"; three months being the length of time it would normally take to recover from an illness or injury. However, Chronic Pain can also occur without any physical damage to the body and in this case, it is the pain system itself that has malfunctioned and started to over produce pain.
Examples of Chronic Pain conditions:
- Persistent back or neck pain (lasting 3 months+)
- Long lasting pain after surgery
- Fibromyalgia
Associated chronic symptoms:
- Chronic fatigue
- "Autonomic dysfunction" such as dizziness/ Postural orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (PoTS)
- Poor sleep; in turn leading to reduced physical capacity
What does physiotherapy assessment of Chronic Pain look like?
Prior to attending for your first appointment, you will first be asked to fill in a screening questionnaire so we can understand your pain and other chronic symptoms, as well as how they affect other aspects of your life. You can also provide any past scans or medical reports to us at this stage.
Your first appointment will be 60 minutes so we can undertake a detailed initial assessment. The first and most important thing for us is to take time to hear your story in your own words and how it impacts on all aspects of your life. If we are working with a child or young-adult we always involve parents in the sessions. We will always focus on hearing the young person's own experience as much as possible. We will also perform screening to ensure the pain or symptoms aren't being caused by any undiagnosed serious health problems.
Following this we will complete a physical examination. We are very sensitive to tailor the examination and treatment to each person's pain and sensitivity levels.
Based on all this information we will then explain, in simple language, the factors that are contributing to your pain and discuss the best treatment options available for you.
What does treatment of Chronic Pain look like?
As chronic disease affects many aspects of our health and daily life it only makes sense that our treatment approach must also take a whole-person view of health. Our focus in not on "quick fixes" to alleviate symptoms, but instead it is focus on supporting patients to regain confidence in their bodies, to learn skills and strategies to better manage symptoms and provide a clear plan to increase activity levels and functional goals.
Treatment is always individualised however some examples of some commonly used interventions include:
- Education to help you make sense of your condition and learn ways to better manage it.
- Movement & Exercise: Specific exercise plan or a more general activity plan to help build your confidence to re-engage with activities you love and find ways to gradually increase your activity levels.
- Self-management skills. This will vary person to person but can include flare up management, activity modification, relaxation, sleep and diet advise as required.
- A long- term plan to keep you on track after the program is over.
- Onward Referral/ Multidisciplinary Management. We may also recommend you link with other health care professionals such as a medical specialist, GP or psychologist if we feel their expertise would be of benefit to achieving a better overall health outcome.
For many of our patients our “freedom to move” programme will complement their pain management treatment journey. The Freedom to Move Program is a 45-minute online session that focuses on promoting well-being through gentle movement, body awareness, and relaxation techniques. This session takes place in a calm, online environment, ensuring accessibility from the comfort of your home.
Find out more about it here: https://mcgowanphysio.com/empowering-movement-with-the-freedom-to-move-program/
How long will my treatment go on for?
The number of sessions will vary a lot from person to person. In the initial phase of treatment, the focus is on working with your physiotherapist to explore new behaviours and movements. Sometimes it takes a little trial and error to find the strategies that are right for you. This phase could consist of anything from 3-6 sessions to establish a program that will work for you and fit your lifestyle.
In the second phase of treatment and once you are happy with the structure of your program and becoming more independent in your management you will focus on integrating these skills learned into your daily life. Often, follow-up sessions are still arranged with your physiotherapist in this second phase however these are scheduled less frequently.
These sessions are often required to manage flare up's or to continue to progress your plan over time. Success of the program is not just measured on the level of symptoms but also on your confidence and ability to independently manage your symptoms and still continue to engage in the activities you enjoy with less disruption by pain.