Integrative Approaches to Addressing Chronic Pain from a Contemporary Occupation-Based Perspective Madeline Jeffries | HUNTINGTON UNIVERSITY | DOCTOR OF OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY

Mission: To investigate integrative approaches to address chronic pain from a contemporary occupation-based perspective

Vision: To increase occupational therapy’s role in effectively treating chronic pain through the advancement of evidence-based approaches

Project Description

According to the 2019 National Health Interview Survey, approximately 20% of adults in the United States live with chronic pain (Dahlhamer et al., 2021). Chronic pain has vast implications on an individual’s ability to engage in everyday occupations and their quality of life (Fisher et al., 2007). Due to the complexity of chronic pain, individuals must be treated using a multi-modal approach. The biopsychosocial approach is the most widely accepted and evidence-based approach when addressing chronic pain (Breeden & Rowe, 2017). Furthermore, complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) approaches are becoming more common to treat chronic pain (Ndao-Brumblay & Green, 2010). As the biopsychosocial approach accounts for the whole person in treatment, the practice of CAMs also aims to treat holistically.

Based on the prevalence of chronic pain, occupational therapy practitioners must be prepared to address the needs of clients with chronic pain. This project aimed to investigate the application of traditional and non-traditional methods of treating chronic pain within the occupational therapy practice. Educational materials and original research were created and presented for the purpose of educating current and future practitioners.

Outcomes

• To create and present a compilation of educational material on chronic pain from an occupation-based perspective for the purposes of educating current and future OT practitioners
• To create and present a compilation of educational material on the use of CAMS to address chronic pain for the purposes of educating current and future OT practitioners

Objectives

• To develop an increased knowledge of chronic pain as measured by the completion of a continuing education course
• To develop an increased knowledge and skill in dry needing as evidenced by the creation of dry needling case studies
• To develop an increased knowledge in integrative approaches to chronic pain (gua sha, cupping, dry needling) as measured by clinical reasoning algorithm for chronic lateral elbow pain from the implemented IRB approved retrospective research study