Chronically painful musculoskeletal conditions are the most frequently reported long standing illness in all age groups in the U.K. The frequency of these conditions and their effect upon function and independence increases with age. The most common sites are back and neck pain followed by shoulder, ankle, hand/wrist and knee problems. The direct and indirect costs of back pain alone have been estimated to be up to £12 billion. Long term sickness absence represents only 5% of absence cases but accounts for 33% of working days lost.

The stark fact is that the longer you are off work the less likely it is you will ever return. So the quicker you start appropriate rehabilitation the less likely you are to go into this group in the first place. This is why we feel that prompt intervention along the lines proposed in this section and Occupational Rehabilitation  section are so crucial.

How we can help you:

We have a specifically planned chronic pain rehabilitation programme which extends over ten sessions of 90 minutes. It is designed to suit the individual’s needs based on our assessment findings, but will include the following:

• Overview of the chronic pain model
• Values and how they affect behaviour.
• Goal setting.
• Basic anatomy and tissue healing.
• Pain
• Motivation
• Exercise and pacing
• Dealing with flare ups.
• Relaxation.
• Future planning