Assessment Services

Innervate Pain Management is a multidisciplinary team of health professionals experienced in the assessment and treatment of chronic pain. We are able to offer a range of services that are tailored to the needs of the patient.

Chronic pain is a long-term health problem which often affects all areas of an individual’s life – work, family, hobbies, social life, recreation, future plans and so on. Patients with chronic pain also often have important questions about their diagnosis, treatment options and so on.

Our experience tells us that there are very few "straightforward" chronic pain cases. That is why we carry out a detailed and lengthy assessment, looking at all aspects of a person's life and the impact that persistent pain has had on them physically, emotionally, socially and vocationally. We ask patients to complete a series of questionnaires to help us gather important information about the effect of pain on quality of life.

The Multidisciplinary Pain Assessment (MPA)

This is a three hour appointment involving assessments with a clinical psychologist, a pain physiotherapist and a vocational rehabiliation counsellor. The MPA provides a detailed summary of the effects of chronic pain on all aspects of an individual’s life, and includes the following elements:

Clinical Psychology assessment: this part of the assessment looks at how life has changed since the onset of pain, how the pain is currently being managed, and beliefs about current and future treatments. Partners or significant others are encouraged to attend the appointment too, so that the effects of pain on all family members can be assessed.

Physiotherapy assessment: this assessment looks at the current physical tolerances for a range of day to day activities. It also identifies fitness and flexibility baselines and the individual's goals for improving physical function.

Vocational assessment: this section assesses the impact of pain on the ability to work. Current job status, previous employment and future job goals are all reviewed.

The team then liaise with the pain specialist involved, the treating doctor or other professionals involved in the patient's rehabilitation. The MPA has a number of aims including:

• Identifying the barriers to the individual making functional progress in his or her pain management.
  
• Evaluating the treatments the individual is currently receiving and whether they are appropriate
  
• Assessing vocational prospects and capabilities
  
• Setting out a coordinated pain management plan

We aim to provide an MPA appointment within 10 days of approval being received.

Individuals not requiring the full MPA assessment service can also be referred for a clinical psychology only or physiotherapy only assessment.