You may have recently been referred to a “Pearls Class” and likely you are wondering what it is. The name is not very revealing and with all the appointments you may have at Pain Consultants of East Tennessee (PCET), you may be saying “I just can’t go over there so much; give me a break!” This is back story of “Pearls” class and why it might be something you will want to do.There are three general categories of treatments for chronic pain – or for any medical problem for that matter. First, the interventional category. These are treatments where all you as a patient do is show up and something is done to you. Injections and physical therapy “modalities” (heat and stimulation) are common examples of this type of treatments. Second, the pharmaceutical approach. These include medication, creams, and patches. Most pain management practices do some sort of combination of these two treatments.
However, there is a third category of pain treatment. This is self-care…things you learn to make your pain less and life better. These skills give you the tools you need to help deal with you pain. In our area few if any other pain management practices offer self-care treatment but at PCET we have offered self-care treatment for more than a decade.
When doing self-care treatment, there is a variety among providers (well, those that actually do these treatments). Many pick one skill and teach it to you. Relaxation and cognitive behavioral therapy (how to think more helpfully and realistically about your pain) are the two common skills that other teach. At PCET we take a different approach. We have found there are five skills patients need. So we briefly teach patients a little bit about each of these skills. We offer the basics of relaxation and the basics of cognitive-behavioral therapy, along with some other skills. The essence of some key skills. “Pearls of wisdom.” or “Pearls class.” We’ve never found a better name so we just stay with it.
In brief the five skills we teach about in Pearls class are the following: Understanding. Patients meed to have some basic knowledge about how chronic pain works and the common treatments for it. Chronic pain acts differently from regular pain, so it is helpful to have this knowledge. Thinking is about the issues in cognitive-behavioral therapy – how one’s thoughts about one’s pain is a key element in getting better. Calming is teaching patients easy ways to relax the body and decrease stress. Balancing is how to have routines that work for you. It is very common for pain patients to underdo it or overdo it. Having a balance of activity is key to getting better. Finally, Coping is what to do when it hurts. There are number of things patients can do to reduce pain instead of taking another pill. Muscle pain is particularly vexing for pain patients but there are number of things patients can do to help decrease this pain.
We offer Pearls in just one two-hour session so you don’t have to drive back and forth multiple times. One session and you will have pain coping skills for a lifetime. Not a bad deal at all.
So come to Pearls class. It is a unique opportunity to learn more about your pain and things you can do to make it better. Instead of wholly relying on your physician to reduce your pain, learn how you can take some control back and have an impact on your own pain!
