Chronic Pain Management & FND Services
Children's Specialized Hospital
Chronic Pain & FND Center of Excellence
Our Specialized Care
The Chronic Pain Management Program at Children's Specialized Hospital promotes the wellness of adolescents and young adults with chronic pain by teaching strategies to manage pain and encourage functional activity. The inpatient Chronic Pain Management Program is typically for children and adolescents with chronic pain who continue to have significant pain and difficulties with daily function despite a period of consistent outpatient therapies.
Our Individualized Approach
This evidence-based program is typically over a four week period, with focus on regaining function and using one's body in a normal way. The approach to treatment of chronic pain at Children's Specialized Hospital includes intense physical and occupational therapy and integrated mental health intervention. Treatment may include:
- Aquatic therapy
- Child life therapy
- Occupational therapy
- Parent education and support
- Patient care coordination
- Physical therapy
- Psychology
- Recreational therapy
During the program, the child and family also participate in family psychoeducational support sessions to provide a better understanding of chronic pain and strategies for families to use to support the functionality of the patient.
The focus of the therapies in the Chronic Pain Management Program are to manage pain through:
- Increasing endurance and strength
- Patient/family education about effective coping strategies
- Use of the affected parts of the body
- Desensitization to reduce allodynia (pain from stimuli that typically does not cause pain, such as light touch or temperature change)
Additionally, recreation events for the patient and family encourage community reintegration, encourage appropriate peer interaction and social activities as well as assist in transition to home/community life. School tutoring is also provided on-site as needed. Our goal is for each child to return home to all normal activities, including school and extracurricular involvement, without any physical modifications.
Our specialized team focuses on treating conditions such as, but not limited to:
- Amplified Musculoskeletal Pain Syndrome (AMPS)
- Chronic Abdominal Pain
- Chronic Migraine Headaches
- Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)
- Fibromyalgia
- Functional Abdominal Pain
- Functional Neurological Disorder (FND)
- Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS)
- Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy
- Reflex Neuropathic Dystrophy
Services
Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PM&R)
- Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) and chronic pain services at CSH begin with either an evaluation by our PM&R/psychology team (if patient is home) or a review of the patients’ clinical picture and rehabilitative needs (if the patient is admitted to an acute care facility). Our PM&R will review all relevant medical records, identify appropriate rehabilitative goals, and develop a care plan which can include outpatient therapy services, or, if a higher level of care is warranted, an immersive inpatient program which will incorporate a higher frequency of rehab services.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- CBT involves the patient engaging with a licensed psychologist or licensed social worker. CBT can help the patient and family better understand Functional Neurological Disorder and chronic pain symptoms as well as modify thought patters to elicit behavioral, mood, and emotional change. Stress management through the integration of meditation and mindfulness exercises are often explored.
Physical and Occupational Therapy
- Physical therapy can treat gross motor impairments including impaired movement, balance deficits and gait-instability. Occupational therapy focuses on self-care tasks and activities of daily living skills while also addressing Functional Neurological Disorder and chronic pain sensory and cognitive challenges. Aquatherapy may also be incorporated.
Speech and Language Therapy
- Speech and language pathologists are experts at examining the structure and movements of the mouth and throat during speech and swallowing. They can help retrain the patient’s nervous system to regain functioning in these areas.
To learn more about our Chronic Pain Management and Functional Neurological Disorder services, call 888-244-5373 or click here.
