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What is the Pain Rehabilitation Center?

Feb 11 12:58pm | Sarah Sheahan OTD-S | @sarahotd | Comments (4)

The Mayo Clinic’s Pain Rehabilitation Center (PRC) aims to promote an improved quality of life by providing patients with the tools and strategies for chronic pain and symptom management. The PRC utilizes an interdisciplinary approach with a team of advanced pain practitioners, psychologists, nurses, and occupational and physical therapists. A 3-week intensive program offers a curriculum that supports psychosocial and rehabilitative self-management approaches to calm an overactive nervous system. 

Program Goals

  • Promoting a full and unrestricted return to activities of daily living
  • Providing an array of functional adaptations to chronic pain and symptoms
  • Discontinuation of opioid analgesics
  • Reduction in health services utilization (decreased medications, injections, surgeries, etc.)

The PRC is dedicated to ensuring that the treatment provided is specific to each individual patient, with the understanding that no one’s experience is the same. Since the central nervous system impacts every body system, a multitude of symptoms can arise from CSS leading to a seemingly endless cycle of doctor visits, laboratory tests, and diagnosis collecting only to be left with treatments and cures that never come to fruition. The PRC’s philosophy is that the brain and body are not separate. Therefore, no single body part or system can be successfully treated and managed without the rest of the body receiving attention as well. This is why the PRC takes a holistic treatment approach to improve the person’s overall functionality in all aspects of their life.

For more information about the PRC, you can access the PRCGuide and visit Pain Rehabilitation Center

 

2 Reactions

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Mentor
Rachel, Volunteer Mentor | @rwinney | Mar 4 12:07pm

Welcome @sarahotd, it's a pleasure to meet you. Colleen @colleenyoung knows how elated I am to welcome The Chronic Pain and Symptoms Rehabilitation blog to Mayo Clinic Connect!

Thank you for your participation in helping to breath life into this new space. I feel that many who are facing the confusion and dismay of permanent changes resulting in chronic pain and symptoms, will greatly benefit from an ongoing education and guidance platform.

As a graduate of the PRC, I can attest to the power of learning and applying the many tools and coping strategies provided in the program. It was truly was a life-changing experience for me and I passionately believe it can help so many others manage better and increase the quality of their lives.

Again, welcome and thank you! Please don't hesitate to reach out if I can be of service.

REPLY
1 reply
Sarah Sheahan OTD-S | @sarahotd | Mar 6 8:55am
In reply to @rwinney "Welcome @sarahotd, it's a pleasure to meet you. Colleen @colleenyoung knows how elated I am to..." + (show)
@rwinney

Welcome @sarahotd, it's a pleasure to meet you. Colleen @colleenyoung knows how elated I am to welcome The Chronic Pain and Symptoms Rehabilitation blog to Mayo Clinic Connect!

Thank you for your participation in helping to breath life into this new space. I feel that many who are facing the confusion and dismay of permanent changes resulting in chronic pain and symptoms, will greatly benefit from an ongoing education and guidance platform.

As a graduate of the PRC, I can attest to the power of learning and applying the many tools and coping strategies provided in the program. It was truly was a life-changing experience for me and I passionately believe it can help so many others manage better and increase the quality of their lives.

Again, welcome and thank you! Please don't hesitate to reach out if I can be of service.

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Hi @rwinney it's nice to meet you too! Very excited for the future of this blog 🙂

REPLY
purplechar | @purplechar | Apr 4 6:04pm

Hello, my name is Charlene and I suffered a traumatic brachial plexus syndrome injury with complete avulsion of C3,4,6,7 & T1,&T2. I was only 20 years old then & am now 57. My C5 was barely intact, but when tested got a 5% response, so they decided to delay an amputation of my R arm to see what they could get C5 to do. They also harvested my R psural nerve from my R leg & did a nerve transplant on my musculocutaneous nerve to bolster C5 & a resulting biceps function. They plated my compound fractured clavicle. I also had skin harvested from my R thigh to cover my extremely decided R forearm. I was a MESS for quite a while, but slowly healed & 3 years later after a ton of PT, was sent to Utah, had an above elbow amputation & started getting fit for a "Utah arm" prosthetic. I started out in terrible phantom pain, but through Lamaze breathing & getting on with life, I went several years without terrible pain. I still had phantom limb feeling & pins & needles sensation all the time, & a bit of pain, but I was able to manage it without meds. As the years went on though, I have had increasing pain to the point where I am beginning to be terribly disabled by it. I have noticed every time my body changes position, it fires off an excruciating pain that almost feels like a crushing of my fingers, followed by a horrible cramp that feels like the worst Charlie horse you've ever experienced!! This of course causes me to tense up, prolonging the cramps sensation a LOT longer. This horrible pain has been going on now for over 10 years & my many doctors have tried every therapy they know of. Nothing seems to work. I have been to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN & was seeing a Dr. Lee & they had even scheduled me for surgery on my brain. I received a phone call later, that it had been canceled due to one of the team's doctors was killed suddenly & they would have to let me know when they could reschedule. I have checked back for several years now, and none of their facilities seem to be performing this particular surgery for phantom pain relief. They are however performing a very similar procedure on Parkinson's patients & essential tremor patients. It is INCREDIBLY frustrating to know that my relief of constant, debilitating pain was within my grasp, but because my diagnosis is different than others, that my surgery will not be performed. I just don't know what's next. I would LOVE to retire, but without this surgery, I think the lack of work & keeping my mind off the pain would be awful! Not sure what to do. I've been in horrible pain for so long, I can't imagine what life would be without it. For now it seems to be a very far off dream.

REPLY
1 reply
Sarah Sheahan OTD-S | @sarahotd | Apr 7 1:50pm
In reply to @purplechar "Hello, my name is Charlene and I suffered a traumatic brachial plexus syndrome injury with complete..." + (show)
@purplechar

Hello, my name is Charlene and I suffered a traumatic brachial plexus syndrome injury with complete avulsion of C3,4,6,7 & T1,&T2. I was only 20 years old then & am now 57. My C5 was barely intact, but when tested got a 5% response, so they decided to delay an amputation of my R arm to see what they could get C5 to do. They also harvested my R psural nerve from my R leg & did a nerve transplant on my musculocutaneous nerve to bolster C5 & a resulting biceps function. They plated my compound fractured clavicle. I also had skin harvested from my R thigh to cover my extremely decided R forearm. I was a MESS for quite a while, but slowly healed & 3 years later after a ton of PT, was sent to Utah, had an above elbow amputation & started getting fit for a "Utah arm" prosthetic. I started out in terrible phantom pain, but through Lamaze breathing & getting on with life, I went several years without terrible pain. I still had phantom limb feeling & pins & needles sensation all the time, & a bit of pain, but I was able to manage it without meds. As the years went on though, I have had increasing pain to the point where I am beginning to be terribly disabled by it. I have noticed every time my body changes position, it fires off an excruciating pain that almost feels like a crushing of my fingers, followed by a horrible cramp that feels like the worst Charlie horse you've ever experienced!! This of course causes me to tense up, prolonging the cramps sensation a LOT longer. This horrible pain has been going on now for over 10 years & my many doctors have tried every therapy they know of. Nothing seems to work. I have been to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN & was seeing a Dr. Lee & they had even scheduled me for surgery on my brain. I received a phone call later, that it had been canceled due to one of the team's doctors was killed suddenly & they would have to let me know when they could reschedule. I have checked back for several years now, and none of their facilities seem to be performing this particular surgery for phantom pain relief. They are however performing a very similar procedure on Parkinson's patients & essential tremor patients. It is INCREDIBLY frustrating to know that my relief of constant, debilitating pain was within my grasp, but because my diagnosis is different than others, that my surgery will not be performed. I just don't know what's next. I would LOVE to retire, but without this surgery, I think the lack of work & keeping my mind off the pain would be awful! Not sure what to do. I've been in horrible pain for so long, I can't imagine what life would be without it. For now it seems to be a very far off dream.

Jump to this post

@purplechar, you are certainly no stranger to managing pain. It is not uncommon for our team to hear patients stories about how they have tried many or every possible treatment option before they attended the Pain Rehabilitation program.

If you would like to find out if Mayo Clinic’s Pain Rehabilitation Center (PRC) might be right for you, learn more about the Admission Process here: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/blog/chronic-pain-symptoms-rehabilitation/tab/patient-resources-1/#ch-tab-navigation

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