Julian, a tall attractive
guy, lives with constant pain. His pain journey began three years
ago with a slip on the stairs that hurt his back. Several back surgeries
later, the pain had spread throughout his body as a result of his
developing Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy.
Today, Julian is planning
the next steps on his journey, thanks to a new pain treatment program
that opened in July at the Courage Center, a not-for-profit rehabilitation
center for people with disabilities in Golden Valley. He hopes
the center will teach him how “to
separate myself from my pain,” Julian says.
More than 50 million Americans have chronic pain, according to the
American Chronic Pain Association. Up to 20 percent of these suffer
from Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy, sometimes known as Complex Regional
Pain Syndrome, usually characterized by pain in the arms, hands, legs
or feet.
The idea for the new center arose last December when the 25-year-old
Chronic Pain Clinic at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis
was closed.
The clinic’s new home at the Courage Center will give inpatients
and outpatients access to the center’s resources including
a swimming pool, physical therapy equipment and a fitness center.
To help him overcome his
chronic pain, Julian plans to meet with Jay Tracy, a physician’s assistant at the center, whose book—“PAIN:
It’s Not All in Your Head”—contains a chapter on
Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy.
Tracy’s office at the Courage Center is hung with signs that
summarize the center’s treatment goals:
• Make pain go away
• Lessen it as much as possible
• Live better with what remains
• Improve function
• Decrease dependence on healthcare system
• Find meaning
“The Pain Clinic is about life coaching,” Tracy
says.
The clinic’s therapy embraces all aspects of a patient’s
life, including nutrition, exercise, meditation, education and recreation.
The clinic generally recommends a lessening of dependency on potentially
addictive drugs.
Dr. Matthew Monsein, medical
director of the new clinic, encourages his patients to see their
pain in a new light. He suggests they replace the term “chronic pain” with “long-term
chronic discomfort.” ![]()
Dr. Monsein opened the
clinic’s outpatient facility, called
Phoenix Center, in September. Coincidentally, but auspiciously,
September was also National Pain Awareness Month.
