The Centre for Pain Research at NUI Galway is currently recruiting patients with back pain to take part in the Pain Disability Prevention Programme (PDP ) trial.
The study offers patients with back pain the opportunity to avail of 10 sessions, with a clinical psychologist trained in pain management. These sessions will focus on active rehabilitation, instruction in a range of pacing techniques, cognitive therapy to help identify negative thinking patterns and the development of effective challenges, stretching and exercising to improve physical function. Sessions are free of charge and will take place locally in Swinford.
Miriam Raftery, researcher at the Centre for Pain Research, says: “We know that a combination of psychological and physical therapies provided at the early stages of back pain are beneficial, particularly for people at risk of long term disability. However multidisciplinary rehabilitation services are often only accessible via specialised hospital-based pain management teams. What we aim to trial is an earlier access route to psychological pain management at a community level. Many people find that a combination of cognitive and physical rehabilitation like the PDP programme enables them to take back control of their lives, to do more and feel better. By trialling this early-intervention programme we can assess if this service is beneficial for people with chronic pain.”
Rehabilitation sessions are free of charge and take place locally. Patients must have pain for no longer than 12 months and must be either off work or on reduced work hours due to pain. All patients can access physiotherapy etc as usual while involved in the trial.
For further information about taking part, please contact Miriam Raftery, Centre for Pain Research, NUI Galway. [email protected], 091 495830 or see the website www.nuigalway.ie/pdp GP’s interested in referring suitable patients to the trial can also contact this number.
