A New Chapter After Chronic Pain

Sara was only 46 years old but had already experienced more pain than most. She suffered from chronic nonspecific musculoskeletal pain throughout her body, including her lower back, neck, shoulder, and feet. This pain caused her physical activity to decrease, leading to generalized deconditioning. She had also been diagnosed with complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) with dissociative symptoms.

Her search for relief left her with an extensive treatment history, including infrared therapies, electrical stimulation, psychiatric and psychological interventions, injections and nerve blocks, open reduction and internal fixation of her right ankle, multiple attempts at occupational therapy (OT) & physical therapy (PT), and multiple medications from attempts at chronic opioid therapy that had left Sara opioid dependent. Some of these treatments led to temporary relief, but they were cost-prohibitive and not long-term solutions.

When she felt like she had tried everything, Sara’s story took a turn. In January 2023, she was referred to The Rizor Institute and underwent an interdisciplinary intake evaluation that included an independent medical evaluation, a psychosocial and diagnostic interview, and an initial PT/OT assessment. Upon completion, she was offered admission to the inpatient program, and a personalized six-week treatment plan was created.

At the time of intake, Sara’s adaptive functioning was low. She was unable to stand for more than two minutes or walk more than a short distance. A professional pet sitter, Sara experienced pain when performing basic work functions like filling pets’ food bowls and was vacillating between working a couple of hours per day and not being able to get out of bed. Even on her better days, everyday tasks like loading and unloading the dishwasher were painful. Her mental functioning was also suffering, and she was experiencing suicidal thoughts.

Goals The Rizor Institute’s team set with Sara included physical goals like increasing her standing tolerance, strength, and mobility, as well as behavioral goals, such as improving her understanding of pain neuroscience, her ability to implement new coping mechanisms, and seeing positive changes in her mood and anxiety. In addition, Sara’s medically concentrated goals focused on decreasing her reliance on opioids, reconditioning her major muscle groups, and losing weight.

In her 39 days of treatment, Sara worked with a licensed clinical psychologist during 24 individual therapy sessions, certified physical and occupational therapists across 70 hours of PT/OT, a board certified anesthesiologist/medical director during four medical evaluations, and numerous nurses during daily checks. She also dedicated 17 hours toward pain neuroscience education.

Thanks to her hard work and the knowledge of her team, Sara made impressive gains during her stay. Walking only 200 feet at a time upon intake, Sara increased this to 4,000 feet by Day 33 and was even able to wear a weighted vest while on these walks during physical therapy. This increase in activity coupled with a dietician-monitored low-calorie diet resulted in Sara losing roughly nine pounds during her stay.

The physical transformation was impressive, but even moreso was the improvement to Sara’s behaviors. Her sleep and mood quality increased throughout her stay, and her pain significantly decreased based on several scales and indexes. Sara had taken opioid medication for over 10 years and was taking roughy 160 mg of morphine per day at the time of intake. By Week 4, she was taking 0 mg a day – a 100% decrease!

Chronic pain inhibits so much more than someone’s physical well-being. Its side effects bleed into the mental and behavioral aspects of life, too. Thanks to The Rizor Institute’s holistic approach to interdisciplinary pain management, Sara saw life-changing improvements to every facet of her life, allowing her to turn the page and begin a new, pain-free chapter.