A few words about Functional Restoration Programs...

When I recently wrote a post about pain coaching services, I mentioned the term "functional restoration program." I realized after the fact that this is something I've never mentioned before in my blog..so in today's post I would like to give you a little introduction to that concept.

When researching for this topic, I noticed that I could not find a strict definition for a functional restoration program. What I can tell you is that a functional restoration program is a multi-disciplinary approach to problems such a chronic pain. The treatment team may involve physical therapists, psychologists, occupational therapists, and other specialties, depending on the individual program.

As an example of this, here is some information from the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Spine Center regarding their functional restoration program:

“Our goal is to treat the whole person, recognizing that pain and disability affect all aspects of a person's life. Each patient enrolled in the program participates in structured daily activities and receives individual case management, tailored psychological counseling, and physical therapy, as needed.

The 14-day program runs each calendar month: eight hours every weekday for two weeks, and four days the third week. The first day involves extensive physical, psychological, and goal evaluations. After day one, each day has:

Four hours of physical training and integration with your goals and plans for work, play, and daily activities (there is extensive planning to ensure you can maintain the gains you have made)
A one-hour lecture about important topics such as anatomy, surgery, pain, drugs, and vocational resources
Counseling and instruction in pain management and coping skills geared toward self-management of pain.”

While comprehensive and intensive in nature, these programs serve to get the affected individual back to a better form of self in a reasonable amount of time. This problem may have originated from an accident or injury, or due to a worsening of a chronic condition such as fibromyalgia. No matter the cause of the problem, this is probably a good option for lots of folks!

Source: Dartmouth-Hitchcock Spine Center; Wikimedia

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