Has anybody heard of Mayo’s program on chronic pain and the brain?

Thank you for the information.

I just read some of the wonderful suggestions. Not all, so I may be repeating some. What I had originally heard of is called scrambler therapy.. I googled it. I don’t have a great memory, but I believe it’s the same thing that the Mayo Clinic does at their pain clinic. And yes,, the article says that it does redirect the pain nerves in the brain. I hope I’m repeating this correctly from the article. But I saw that you got a lot of good links to the mayo pain clinic. I wish you the best. I too have chronic pain. No fun!! I would like to check out the Mayo Clinicin Florida. Then I could treat my pain and have a great vacation!!!

I am moved forward with having my information faxed through my doctor. I'm just waiting for a response. I looked at FL and AZ. Jacksonville is on the northeast corner of the state. Chronic pain is horrible. For me, it's where I sit and it's starting to affect other parts of my body as well.

Hi @maxieg, welcome to Connect. Congratulations on graduating the Pain Rehabilitation Program!! What an accomplishment! I'm a FL grad as well and equally think Dr. Sletten and team were absolutely incredible. A life-changing experience for me.

Thanks for mentioning the after care program and how it's been helpful to you. I find their private Facebook group for graduates very supportive, resourceful and inspirational. Are you a part of the fb group?

I think one of the best parts is just knowing that you are amongst peers and can support each other utilizing the PRC principles, get help with questions or set backs, and access resources. No one gets it quite like those who have been through the 3 weeks.

Dr. Sletten and staff also have a Blog here on Connect about the Pain Rehab Center and provide useful information about how chronic pain comes to be, tips and tricks on managing it, etc....

Check it out here:
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/blog/chronic-pain-symptoms-rehabilitation/
If you're comfortable sharing - what have been your top areas of change and improvement over the 9 months since graduating?

@kathan55
Hi there! I'm sorry to hear you have chronic pain. That is definitely no joke, but I do appreciate your humor about the vacation part. Humor is such good medicine! The reason I chose Mayo Clinic in Florida was so that I had warm weather and palm trees while attending their 3 week pain rehab program at the Pain Rehabilitation Center (PRC). It was an awesome experience, but definitely no vacation!!

Scrambler therapy is used for chronic pain but not used at the PRC. I think it's important to note that a pain rehabilitation center is different than a pain clinic per se. At the PRC, the focus is on a comprehensive holistic approach by treating the whole person from a chemical, emotional, physical, and behavioral standpoint, and learning about the power of the brain and how retraining it can build new habits towards productive self-management of symptoms.

Have you considered trying a pain rehabilitation approach? Do you have any in your area?

Thank you for responding to my post! I’m not sure if if there is a pain rehabilitation
program in my area. But I live not too far from Duke Hospital and UNC. I think that’s a wonderful suggestion and I may call them both to see what they offer. Once again, thank you for your response and suggestion! 🤗

I wouldn't recommend it as it's 'one size fits all' program. The program is not for people that can't drive to a class 8-5 for three weeks. They also seem to think that insomnia meds are bad and they seem to think they can control OSA related insomnia. The program was created by a bunch of overeducated idiots at Stanford. I would tread carefully here. My pain causes me to stop breathing and faint. No amount of mind control can fix that!

My problem is sitting pain and that is my only concern for the three-week program. Did you participate in the program?

I was suggested to enter the program but because of my
1. Cannot drive there and back due to pain meds and constant pain that cause me to hyperventilate and pass out.
2. Their desire to take me off Ambien, without offering any solutions and how they will treat rebound insomnia.
3. The program lacking solutions to #1 and #2 above.
4. The program is the same for EVERYONE regardless of type of pain.

You're welcome. That's wonderful! Large teaching hospitals are good options for excellent health care needs and cutting-edge programs. I hope they offer a similar rehabilitation center like Mayo's PRC. Good luck!

I've heard good things about the Curable app. It helps align and teach mind-body self care and provides good coping and management tools. Have you heard of it?