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At the Spine Institute, behavioral medicine practitioners are important members of our treatment team.
National research has found that pain, particularly chronic pain associated with spinal disorders, has a greater impact than just on the physical body. The pain you experience may alter your behavior and desire to participate in your normal daily activities. It can impact your mental, social and emotional well-being. If this occurs, it can compromise your quality of life.
In cases where the triage manager believes that you will benefit from this type of evaluation, an expert in pain and behavioral medicine will conduct an assessment to identify and evaluate:
These evaluations are not the typical psychological or psychiatric approach. If it is recommended that you have this evaluation we are not suggesting that you have mental health problems. These are evaluations and treatment options that are designed to help the entire treatment team understand your individual pain experience. In this way our treatment plan can be specifically tailored to your needs.
Patients may receive these services for many reasons:
These services help identify better pain management and coping skills to optimize overall feelings of health and wellbeing. After all, your pain affects your whole life. Additionally it is true that your life style impacts your pain.
We strongly recommend psychosocial evaluation, for the patient's safety and to provide better overall treatment outcomes.