Evaluation and intervention of patients with chronic pain
Individualized and group therapeutic intervention to improve quality of life in patients with chronic pain.
Chronic pain is a complex and subjective perceptual phenomenon characterized by changes in the nociceptive system (responsible for pain processing) and alterations in the processing of sensory, emotional and cognitive information. There is a close connection between chronic pain and negative emotions, such as anxiety or depression, as these can be an important factor in the maintenance of pain.
A research group from the UIB has experience in individual or group psychological and neuropsychological assessment focused on aspects that can influence painful perception in patients with chronic pain.
This service includes:
- Hypervigilance towards pain (constant attention to pain and associated sensations to control them and, even, to eliminate them) intervention.
- Kinesiophobia (pathological fear to make movements that can cause pain) intervention.
- Psychoeducation of chronic pain.
- Relaxation and biofeedback techniques: biofeedback consists in providing information to the patient about the physiological responses of which the patient is not aware, such as the heart rate, sweating, respiration or muscle tension, to have voluntary control over his/her responses and the feeling that the pain is controllable.
- Strategies to correct thoughts properly.
- Changes in pain behaviors for pleasant activities.
- Stimulation of cognitive abilities.