Before the patient enters the office, it is useful to consider having them complete questionnaires. They can be used as part of an initial assessment and to monitor progress.
Adverse Child Events State of Health Widespread Pain Index
Assessing wide spread joint pain can take as little as 3 minutes:
Most patients who have pain almost all the time will benefit from:
Pacing if they are doing too much or
Nudging them to do a little more stretching and movement and allow for some discomfort initially:
Recovery poses for Pattern 1 back pain (more for other types of Back Pain)
Gentle yoga stretches can be found: Gentle Movement or Yoga exercises
Breathing is great to lower inflammation.
Engaging a patient in severe pain is difficult. I demonstrate paced breathing in my office. The first video in Step 2 has a short 3 minute demonstration video.
I very often copy and paste these links in an email to the patient. It only takes the time to type out email, then paste and send – no subjects or notes usually.
Providing the patient with simple Recovery Poses for severe pain can be useful, even in widespread pain. Qi-Gong can be easier to manage and there are short 10 to 13 minute exercises on the Daily Program.
A patient in severe pain is dysregulated and unable to concentrate. They likely will need simple steps to healing. I usually start with Step 2. If the patient is not too overwhelmed, learning about fascia is helpful or finding something more specific in Types of Pain.
This is a long process and requires patience. The result is very rewarding. Changing one person’s life can heal families and communities.
Thank you for your commitment.
Judy