Comprehensive pain center | veterans affairs

Pain management services include inpatient, outpatient and virtual/telehealth pain medicine consultation, pain management procedures/injections, chiropractic care, pain rehabilitation

services and a Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) accredited interdisciplinary Chronic Pain Rehabilitation Program. An evaluation by a CPC physician requires a

referral from your VA health care provider. If you receive care outside of the Minneapolis VA Health Care System, please speak with your pain care provider about the evaluation process.

QUESTIONS AND APPOINTMENTS For general Comprehensive Pain Center questions, please contact . If you would like to cancel or reschedule your Comprehensive Pain Center appointment, please

contact . For questions about pain management injections/procedures, please contact . Login to My HealtheVet to access secure messaging PAIN TREATMENTS EVALUATION AND TREATMENT PLANNING When

your primary care or specialty provider places a pain clinic consult you will be scheduled with a physician for a clinic visit to evaluate your pain complaint and help develop a treatment

plan based on your goals. As part of this plan of care you may be referred to one of more of the other specialties listed below. PHYSICAL THERAPY Physical therapy focuses on improving

physical function and treatment of pain. Treatment may include strengthening, stretching, balance and aerobic exercise; education to reduce fear and improve movement; and hands-on therapy

for joints and muscles. A customized self-care program and a better understanding of pain will help you do more activities at home, work and in the community. OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY

Occupational therapy (OT) focuses on the “job of living”, looking at how pain, sleep, energy, thinking and mood impact daily life. OT works with you to identify personal goals and use

changes to daily activity, movement, and new skills to calm the nervous system, quiet pain, and improve life.  Tools such as biofeedback, graded motor imagery, TENS, mind-body skills, and

many others can also be used to help treat pain and return you to what you truly want and need to do to live your life. PAIN PHARMACY Pain pharmacy works collaboratively with you to optimize

medications that you're taking for pain management. The focus of this service is to ensure that medications prescribed for pain are both effective and safe. Individualized medication

treatment plans are created based on your unique health concerns and perceptions of pain. Although medications can have an important role in pain management, they remain a single component

of a more comprehensive care plan that includes non-pharmacological treatments. PSYCHOLOGY Pain psychologists empower you to reduce the distress of your chronic pain by teaching a set of

highly effective skills in usually 8 sessions or less. By understanding the relationship between your thoughts, feelings and behaviors, you develop an improved way of recognizing problematic

patterns that impact your pain. Veterans are encouraged to continue to practice these skills on your own after the completion of treatment. CHRONIC PAIN REHABILITATION PROGRAM (CPRP) The

CPRP is a four-week outpatient program to improve the quality of life for Veterans and active-duty service members with chronic pain. Participants who have completed CPRP report less pain,

less depression, and improved daily activity. Participants and their families report a high level of satisfaction and recommend this program for others living with chronic pain. Learn more

about the Chronic Pain Rehabilitation Program RECREATION THERAPY Recreation therapy focuses on the things that bring you joy in your life, and what you can do to get back to doing those

things. Individual sessions provide leisure education on managing pain while engaging in leisure activities or setting goals to get back into the things you enjoy, and identifying ways to

overcome barriers. Group and community settings get you out and engaged in your community with other Veterans. ACUPUNCTURE Acupuncture originated in China and has been used to treat pain for

thousands of years. There is a growing body of evidence to suggest that it can be effective, particularly for the treatment of chronic pain. Tiny needles, about the width of a human hair,

are placed at specific points on the body with the goal of calming the nervous system and reducing pain. Acupuncture treatments can serve as a bridge to help you move towards self-care and

active treatments that will last long after the course of acupuncture treatment has ended. BIOFEEDBACK Biofeedback is a process that uses feedback from a person’s own body to inform and

guide treatment planning. Equipment is used to measure information like heart rate, skin temperature, and muscle activation. This information can lead to more individualized education, skill

development and personal insight. It can also be applied to functional goals to improve outcomes as part of a comprehensive rehab therapy treatment plan. CHIROPRACTIC Chiropractic care

focuses on treating disorders of the muscular, skeletal, and nervous systems. Pain can be complicated, and treatment often requires a broad approach which may include exercise, education,

and hands-on therapy. Chiropractors will use multiple treatments as a bridge to help you move towards self-care and active treatments that will last long after the course of chiropractic

treatment has ended. PAIN MANAGEMENT PROCEDURES/INJECTIONS The Comprehensive Pain Center provides injection-based treatment options which may be recommended as part of your pain management

plan of care. These injections are not meant to cure your pain but rather to reduce symptoms to help move you towards self-care and active treatment. For questions about pain

injections/procedures, please contact . Listed below are some of the procedures performed at the Minneapolis VA Pain Interventional Clinic: * Epidural steroid injection (ESI) * Peripheral

nerve injection/block * Diagnostic/therapeutic joint injection * Diagnostic Medial Branch Blocks * Radiofrequency ablation * Spinal cord stimulator trials * Occipital nerve blocks *

Intercostal nerve injection * Ilioinguinal/Iliohypogastric nerve injection * Genitofemoral nerve injection * Botulinum toxin injections * Neuroma injections/blocks FAQ