No matter where they are in their rehab/recovery journey, people in pain can find Christmas to be a challenging time. In particular, it’s a time where re-engaging with everyday tasks can take on a whole lot more meaning.

For anyone facing an impending surgical procedure, it’s pretty normal to come face-to-face with a range of fears and emotions in the lead-up to the big day. In the context of chronic pain, the prospect of surgery to assist with pain management can sometimes hold the hope of being a ‘magical cure’, but this is rarely the case.

If you’re a physiotherapist and you treat chronic pain or you’re a person in pain receiving treatment, then chances are you’ve been faced with a range of presenting symptoms outside of the straight-up physical. If you’ve ever wondered how best to handle curve-ball issues like the emotional stress and social isolation that come with long-term pain then it might be time to broaden your approach to chronic pain management.

Catastrophizing has been classified as “a tendency to misinterpret and exaggerate situations that may be threatening” and has been identified as a considerable risk factor for long-term disability following a soft tissue injury.

So, what is a Voc Rehab Provider? In the compensation system, their main role is to work together with the injured worker and their health care provider to facilitate successful and safe return to work.

You don’t have to look too far to see that chronic pain management in Australia is largely focused on treating adults and the elderly. Look a little closer and you’ll see that there’s a huge gap when it comes to children and adolescents, which begs the question: is the current system leaving kids behind?

At Pain NT, we are proud to use an Interprofessional approach in our Pain Rehab and Recovery Program. One of the biggest discoveries we’ve made is that the theory of ‘interprofessional practice’ aligns really nicely with the challenges we face in the chronic pain rehab community.

As we know, people recovering from injury or mental illness grapple with a range of identity and privacy issues when they start to consider a return to work. From handling the emotional impact of being off work, to navigating an effective return to work plan, there’s a lot to consider.