website: www.mayoclinic.org/pain-rehabilitation-center-rst

The Pain Management Center is operated by the Dept. of Psychiatry and Psychology in the Generose Building at Saint Mary’s Hospital, which is part of the Mayo Clinic. Two other sites are located in Scottsdale, AZ and Jacksonville, FL.  (Despite repeated requests and messages, personnel could not confirm whether this is a strictly an outpatient program, its size, and the clinic did not participate in our mail survey by our deadline.

The Pain Rehabilitation Program is primarily a partial hospitalization program that involves patients on a daily basis, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.  In some circumstances determined by medical necessity, patients were admitted to the hospital on inpatient status for the initial phase of treatment. The average length of participation in the Pain Management Program is approximately 15-18 working days.

Regarding admission, first, Mayo Physicians perform a complete diagnostic evaluation of the patient.  If no specific medication, surgery or other procedure is suitable to treat the pain, the physician may recommend evaluation for the Pain Management Center Treatment Program.

How The Program  Works...

If you suffer from chronic pain, this specialized treatment unit offers a highly structured program of rehabilitative services including:

The team includes psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, a program coordinator, nursing staff, physical therapists, occupational therapists, and a chemical dependency counselor.  According to the Mayo Clinic on Chronic Pain, Mayo Clinic pain specialists integrate behavioral and lifestyle changes with physical and occupational therapy and selective use of medications or injections. Depending on the location or cause of the pain, other therapies, such as biofeedback or TENS, also may be incorporated into the treatment plan.

The Mayo Clinic embraces certain alternative pain therapies. For example, pain specialists at Mayo Clinic have used acupuncture since 1974 as one part of a comprehensive treatment program, along with traditional methods such as medication or surgery.

The patient is evaluated by the Department of Psychiatry/Psychology to determine if placement in the program is appropriate.  After the psychiatrist and the patient have agreed on the program, an admission date is set.  In the initial phase of treatment, team members observe the patient's method of coping with pain, level of activity, and use of medications.  This usually takes three days.

The main phase of treatment emphasizes techniques that reduce the use of medications and complaints of pain while increasing physical activity and independence.  All pain medication is given in a flavored liquid so that the patient is unaware of the amount of medication received.  This amount gradually decreases until the patient is receiving little or no medication. Another technique requires members of the staff to be neutral to excessive complaints of pain but respond favorably to improved functioning.

An activity program is developed for each patient, emphasizing those goals set by the patient.  Patients also receive special physical therapy and biofeedback-assisted relaxation training, as necessary.  Discussion periods and recreational activities are conducted daily.

Patients earn passes to spend time away from the center, based on increased activity levels and progress in other aspects of the program. In the first and second phases of the program, the patient's relatives are requested not to visit the patient.

Family members of outpatients participate in the program on Day 1 and on two other days during the program. Through counseling and attendance at information sessions, family members learn to assist patients in continuing management of pain at home.

Continuing care is tailored to individual needs and uses resources in the patient’s home community such as support groups, chemical dependency groups, individual therapy, or marital therapy.  In addition, patients are encouraged to develop schedules of continuing exercise by joining health clubs, a YMCA, walking groups, or other exercise oriented programs.  Patients from Rochester and surrounding communities are invited to attend the weekly Continuing Care Group meetings held at the PMP.