Helena Jamnik
University Rehabilitation Institute Republic of Slovenia, Slovenia
Biography
Helena Jamnik is an experienced clinician, at the moment head of the outpatient department at University Rehabilitation Institute of Ljubljana, involved in clinical research, with experiences in organization of health service, team leadership, working closely with different clients or collaborators, patients, health professionals, management staff and academics. She is specialized in physical medicine and rehabilitation in July 2007, experienced in rehabilitation of different types of disabilities, specialized in chronic pain management in interdisciplinary pain rehabilitation programs.
Abstract
Patients with failed back surgery syndrome, treated with spinal cord stimulation (SCS) rarely report absence of pain after the procedure. Most of them have been struggling with chronic pain in the back and/or legs for many years, consequently confronting functional limitations in various areas, which may not resolve automatically after SCS procedure. Main goals of interdisciplinary pain rehabilitation program for patients with failed back surgery syndrome after SCS are directed in behavioral change to support adaptation of patients’ functioning in different areas (physical functioning, balance training, body mechanics, endurance, mood, quality of sleep, fatigue and participation in meaningful activities) without pain exacerbations. The lecture I will present the consecutive case series study of 10 patients followed one year after SCS combined with interdisciplinary rehabilitation on the basis of outcome measures, routinely applied in our clinical practice, aimed to capture physical symptoms, functioning and possible goal fulfilment: six min walk test with pain assessment after walking, berg balance scale, COPM, video analysis of body mechanics, brief pain inventory - pain interference, maximal pain in the last week by numerical analogue scale, pain detect and beck depression inventory. Our previous study right after completion of interdisciplinary rehabilitation program already demonstrated same measurable changes which might point to the fulfilment of goals set individually directed generally into the behavioral change to adapt better in different areas of functioning despite remaining pain and sequel of past long-term chronic pain syndrome. The cognitive behavioral training seems to be the key processes supporting the behavioral change.