Chronic Pain resources

Pain Management

January 1, 2022 by Megan Berg.
An estimated 53% of older adults experience pain to an extent that it interferes with their daily lives and independence. When a client has pain, it may often be the first area for a therapist to address in order to improve outcomes in other areas. This clinician resource provides an overview of many non-pharmacological pain relief options to incorporate into treatment sessions.
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Pain and Smoking

January 1, 2022 by Megan Berg.
Many people who have long standing pain conditions also smoke. This handout outlines how smoking can affect musculoskeletal pain and how quitting may help decrease pain intensity.
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ESTIM

December 31, 2021 by Megan Berg.
Electrical stimulation (ESTIM) is a valuable modality that can be used to address a variety of conditions and symptoms such as treating chronic pain, improving range of motion, and retraining muscles after injury or illness. This resource covers ESTIM indications, contraindications/precautions and provides a log to keep track of individual patient parameters in order to simplify utilizing ESTIM in the clinic.
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Nervous System Sensitization: Assessment Strategies for Clinicians

December 30, 2021 by Megan Berg.
Nervous system sensitization involves increased pain response in the absence of tissue damage. It is common in people with chronic pain. Identifying nervous system sensitization may improve care for these people by allowing the clinician to focus on time contingent exercise approaches and pain neuroscience education. This resource outlines several assessment strategies to identify nervous system sensitization.
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Migraines

December 30, 2021 by Megan Berg.
Migraine headaches can cause significant pain and suffering for people who experience them. You may wonder how migraines may be treated in a therapy setting and what the evidence supports for reducing the impact of migraines. This handout outlines some non pharmacological treatment options and strategies that may help with migraines.
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Exercises for Acute Neck Pain

December 27, 2021 by Megan Berg.
This document is a perfect handout after an initial evaluation or consultation for someone with neck pain. The document describes a general method for managing neck pain at home.
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Instructions for Acute Low Back Pain

December 27, 2021 by Megan Berg.
Nearly everyone will experience low back pain at some time. This handout provides instructions that may be helpful for individuals who have mild low back pain. It is an ideal sheet for clinicians to give after consultations and follows methods popularized by Robin McKenzie.
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How Does Manual Therapy Reduce Pain?

December 26, 2021 by Megan Berg.
This handout outlines and summarizes what the best available evidence says about how manual therapy may work to reduce pain, and it describes who may benefit most from it.
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Pain and the Brain

December 25, 2021 by Megan Berg.
This handout includes information regarding the causes of pain, the relationship between imaging and pain, and first steps towards managing pain.
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Pain Management After Injury

December 25, 2021 by Megan Berg.
This handout handout describes the difference between using medications to mask pain and using physical therapy to target and treat the root cause of pain.
This content is only available to members.