Chronic Pain: An Integrative Approach to Effective Pain Management

Pain interferes with the enjoyment of life. It makes it difficult to work, socialize with friends and family, sleep, and accomplish activities of daily living. It may reduce productivity and create financial hardships in terms of lost work and high medical bills. Chronic pain can lead to a loss of appetite, depression, and physical weakness as well as a loss of the joy of life.

The outcome of this course is for the learner to describe the scope of chronic pain, key historical events in pain management, the physiology of pain, types of pain, conventional pharmacological treatments for pain, and integrative approaches to pain management.

Course Objectives:

1. Describe the scope of pain and chronic pain in the United States.
2. Identify key events in the history of pain management.
3. Define pain and chronic pain.
4. Explain the physiology of pain.
5. Describe the types of pain.
6. Identify various pain behaviors.
7. Compare and contrast the various pharmacological methods for managing pain.
8. Compare and contrast the various integrative therapies useful in pain management.