ABSTRACT
This
case reports a 41 year-old Caucasian male with intractable chronic
pain who returned to work two years post-accident, after successfully
completing a six-week multidisciplinary chronic pain management program.
Prior to entering the program, the patient underwent a successful
C3/4 fusion. At the time of program admission, the patient presented
with status post C3/4 fusion, myofascial pain syndrome/cervical region,
anxiety disorder, moderate/severe depression, and pain disorder associated
with both psychological factors and work injury to neck and back.
His medication regimen included opioids for pain relief (OxyContin
and Vicodin) and the muscle relaxant, Zananex.
Based on the physical and psychological assessments, the patient’s
customized program included physical therapy, counseling (group, individual,
family and vocational), biofeedback, massage, nutritional management,
spiritual wellness, movement therapy, case management and medical
management. Despite the odds cited in the clinical literature on work-related
injury and return to work (Aronoff and Feldman 2000), this patient
regained control over his chronic pain, discontinued his pain medications,
and returned to his pre-accident lifestyle approximately two years
post-accident. His prognosis for maintenance of this lifestyle is
excellent. This positive outcomes of this case concur with evidence-based
literature that increasingly support the use of an interdisciplinary
approach where the chronic pain patient receives a comprehensive scope
of rehabilitation therapies in an integrated manner (Ashburn 1999
and Guzmán 2001).
