I have. The program was like you described, with the addition of water therapy. The program was (in my case) 6 weeks, 8 hours a day. The great majority of patients were on Workers Compensation, while I was the only one using private insurance/private pay ($100/day out of pocket). Those on Workers Compensation had to show continuing improvement to be permitted to stay in the program. My private insurance had no requirements or maximum stay, as long as I wanted to pay my $100 I could stay up to the maximum of 6 weeks.

One of the first things you will learn is that they cannot cure chronic pain only train a person to manage, or live, with it. This was a big, and sad, surprise to many of my group who were mostly expecting to be cured so they could return to work.

Most of each day was doing exercises both conventional and one hour in the pool. The remaining time was in various types of therapy like you mentioned plus biofeedback.

It is a very tough program. I was worn out every evening when I got home. One of their main goals was to get all patients off of pain medications. I was not able to do so while in the program, but was able to wean off later.

The entire staff was excellent and very supportive. I am sure they see all kinds of patients with many types of injuries, or like me, with non-injury caused pain.

Overall, I thought it was an excellent experience for me. I had totally given up on doing any kind of exercise. Being able to learn to many types has been very helpful. I highly recommend this type of program if a person has the financial ability to go. Just be prepared to work.

Below is a link to the pain center I went to so you can compare your program to what I did. Good luck.

http://www.chronicpainrecoverycenter.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=45&Itemid=140

Sptrout, thanks for your experience. Yes, our programs sound quite similar except for the program here not having water therapy. I am so nervous because if we're in chronic pain and inactive for much of the day, how are we expected to make it through several hours of exercises then sitting or standing to listen to the therapists? I need to lay down on a certain matress for the majority of the day, with brief periods of exercise or sitting in a very specific chair. I am unable to sit in any other chair or stand in place for more than a minute. Luckily they said i dont have to keep continuing with the program if it's not a good fit for my abilities. Did anyone need to quit during your program or need special accommodations? I'm bringing my special, thick but supportive exercise mat with me so that i can lay down on that once in a while.

good luck with it Lisaloo.....hugs to you for trying it....hugs

Thank you, Bill!

LisaLoo2,

Do not worry about being expected to do the impossible. At the Center I went to, the Physical Therapist reviewed each patient's medical history before the person set foot in the building. Knowing each person's specific problem, the therapist was able to prepare a specific set of exercises for each patient. Each patient was given a specific set of exercises to do every day. Each patient was also asked to fill-in a table that listed the prescribed exercises and how many of each was accomplished each day. This was required for Workers Comp patients, and used as an FYI for non-Workers Comp patients (only me as it turned out). By charting each day's activities, each person was able to see the improvements that were made week-to-week. The only exception to this was the pool theraphy were all (8-12 people) tried to do the same exercises.

All equipment was provided and all that was required is that each person comes dressed for gym-type exercises. Also required was a swimsuit. I see no reason why you would not be allowed to bring your own mat, but hopefully you will find that you no longer need it.

No one was pushed beyond their physical limits. However, each person was asked to try to go to the limit so they could become stronger, and more able to handle their pain.

During non-exercise times, there was a separate meeting room used for group sessions. The chairs in this room were "Lazy-Boy" type chairs, but other chairs were available if this type of chair was not comfortable. There was plenty of time a lotted each day for "downtime" and if the more rest was needed, the room was always available.

Since the the program only worked with one group at a time, you got to know you fellow patients very well. They used each other's experiences, good and bad, to try to help the others see that they are not alone (which is typically the case for many chronic pain suffers).

As I mentioned before, I was the only private pay person in my group. All the rest were having their treatment paid for by Workers Comp. because of on the job injuries. I asked a person at the "front desk" how many private pay patients go throught the program? She said that I was the first she had seen and she had worked there nrealy a year. Obviously, a program that is 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, for 4-6 weeks is very expensive and many private insurance companies will not pay for it. I was lucky at the time that my insurance covered me at my standard 80/20 co-pay rate. Many do not.

During the time I was there, no one quit the program. Each person had very different types of injuries and other issues such as panic attacks due to their injuries were from being attacked at their job for example.

Again, there is pressure to succeed, but you will not be pushed to the extreme, and each patient's history will be considered during therapy. Sometimes it takes pressure to findout exactly what you can handle.

I have mainly wrote about the physical therapy part of the program. However, exercise only comprised about 50% of the day and that was spread thoughout the day.

Don't worry, it should be a very helpful experience!

Hey Lisa,
I went through a Chronic Pain and Headache program at the hospital. It lasted 2 weeks. Apparently there are only 5 of these types in the country.

They taught Biofeedback and relaxation techniques, Physical Therapy that showed me how to do self massage on the neck and head. I learned trigger point therapy, they threw in occupational therapy for me, but that is only offered if you need it. They did infusions to help with the pain and nausea. There was a Psychologist that specialized in Chronic pain. She and my Physical Therapist set me up with a section of the hospital where they had various aids to help with daily living. Like special machine to open jars; weighted utensils eat with, It was nice to see the product and use it before you ordered it. The entire program was a very successful program. I did need special accommodations, Some one had to walk with me from one class to the next class. I had to sit down every so many yards and get my breathing back under control then continue to the next class.

I wish you well with your program. Please keep us up-to-date on how your program goes.

Hugs-RJ

Thank you, RJ. That sounds like a really comprehensive program. Really great how they have a lifestyle adaptation component.

Pstrout, your program also sounds really well thought through. Itvsounds like it may have been worth the 20% co-pay - especially if it helped you to surpass an out of pocket max for the year.

I actually had my first day of the program today. It seems like a mini version of the programs you both went through. We do have here in my general area a more intensive well-regarded program, but the commute would take forever - drive, train, then bus - and also i didnt think i would be able to make it through a full day. The program im in is only 4 hours a day, everyday for 4 weeks. I was surprised to see there was only one other person besides me in the program. The physical therapists seem very good with teaching exercises and ergonomics. Unfortunately, the chairs there are not working for me, and I'm exhausted with pain from the sitting through lectures, not from the actual therapy. I did bring my mat so i am hoping i will be allowed to lay down on the floor on my mat during the lectures, but it's going to be really embarassing and look disturbing, Im sure. But i cant bear to sit anymore; my pelvic nerves are flared up. And my feet are burning from trying to stand. Im kind of stressed out already.