What is the procedure of an inpatient pain therapy?

In principle, the procedure of an inpatient pain therapy is similar to that of an outpatient. In comparison to the outpatient, the mostly 10 – 14-day inpatient pain therapy can be considered more intensive. Here, a large team from different medical specialties and various other medical professions is available to determine the causes of pain and to develop the best possible treatment concept. Psychosomatic and psychological therapy approaches for the cognitive management of chronic pain are always included. All this follows an individually adapted concept, which means that the exact course of treatment differs from patient to patient.

What is a pain diary?

In order to be able to develop an optimal pain therapy for a patient with chronic pain and at the same time with few side effects, it is important to get to know the pain. It must be possible to closely observe and thereby understand the intensity of the pain during the course of the day, the influence of various activities and of medication on the symptoms, as well as the side effects of the medication used. The so-called pain diary is suitable for this purpose, as a written documentation in which precisely this information can be collected. In the end, it is a simple but effective way of monitoring the course of treatment and therapy, which can be improved and individually adjusted. In addition to personal data, it always contains a calendar with so-called visual analog scales, i.e. pain scales for recording the intensity of pain, as well as an overview of the current therapeutic measures and columns for other conditions and side effects of the therapy.

What does pain therapy for the back look like?

Back pain is often based on complex and chronic complaints. Both congenital malpositions and acquired, degenerative wear processes contribute to the development of back pain. A causal treatment of the complaints is therefore often difficult and frustrating, so that the pain therapy is usually in the foreground.

This typically takes place within the framework of a so-called multimodal pain therapy – a cooperation of different disciplines for the best possible treatment and prevention of the pain. In the first instance, it is essential to behave in a way that is appropriate for the back in everyday life, as well as moderate physical activity – sparing the back and its muscles is counterproductive. However, exercise and sports are often only conceivable here under a drug-based pain therapy.

Depending on the severity of the back pain, this can initially be done with non-opioid painkillers.In the foreground here are the so-called non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which include ibuprofen and diclofenac. Stronger pain may require the use of weak opiates such as tramadol. In addition to this systemic drug-based pain therapy, infiltration therapy, physiotherapeutic and ostheotherapeutic methods, acupuncture, electrical massage techniques and psychological approaches such as autogenic training are also used for back pain.