Chronic Pain Treatment

Chronic pain can affect your entire life, particularly if you're experiencing so much pain that it robs you of the enjoyment of your family, your work and the world around you. At Sovereign Health of California, we specialize in the very latest, cutting edge pain management treatments that can end the grip chronic pain has upon you.

It is important that you understand what chronic pain really is. Chronic pain (non-cancer related) generally refers to intractable pain that exists for 3 or more months and does not resolve in response to treatment. An estimated 40 million Americans suffer from this, so you have lots of company.

Your symptoms may include constant or intermittent pain, tension, anxiety or depression and/or lack of sleep. If you do not get treatment, chronic pain may lead to secondary conditions that exacerbate and actually perpetuate the pain, including:

• Over Dependence on Medications and/or Alcohol
• Weakening of Muscles
• Low Self Esteem and Feelings of Hopelessness
• Conflict with Family Members
• Difficulties in Sitting, Lying and Walking
• Diminished Social life
• Financial Hardships/Loss of Work

That’s certainly no way to live, is it? We understand how you feel and can help you do something about it.

Chronic Pain Treatment for the whole person

Our solution is an 8-week outpatient program (with optional 6 months of aftercare) that treats a multitude of potential causes, not just the physical ones. Each program is designed to help you achieve the following goals:

1. Teach patients techniques for self-regulation of chronic pain
2. 2. Provide background information to explain why we are including many standard and alternative treatment modalities
3. Create opportunities for patients to share their experiences with each other
4. Help re-socialize patients who have become isolated because of their pain and disability
5. Create a support network where patients can help each other, both now and in the future.

Group Format:

This consists of 60 minute sessions divided into two, 30 minute sections: 30 minutes for presenting information and 30 minutes for practicing techniques about pain management and coping with stress and negative emotions. Sessions are held between 1 and 3 times a week, depending on the patient’s diagnosis and the severity of the problem. The aim of these sessions will be to provide the following:

1. Identifying signs of stress
2. Basics of biofeedback and self monitoring
3. Cognitive behavioral techniques
4. Pain management strategies
5. Unconscious thoughts and beliefs that reinforce your pain
6. Conflict resolution techniques and pain management
7. Improving your sleep patterns
8. Reducing anxiety associated with pain
9. Learned helplessness and learned optimism
10. Healthy methods to create a social support network
11. Cognitive/brain impairment from chronic pain
12. Cognitive /brain skills enhancement
13. The biological basis of your pain
14. Pain and medication dependency
15. Achieving health through self-regulation techniques
16. Yoga pain techniques
17. Visual imagery techniques
18. Goal setting
19. Time management