Chronic pain rehabilitation: principles and practice.

Chronic pain affects more than 50 million Americans and costs the economy billions of dollars each year. Because chronic pain may involve physical, emotional and social-role dysfunction, treatments that only address the physical problems are often ineffective. In chronic pain rehabilitation, a team of skilled professionals employs multiple therapies and a structured treatment plan to address all the dimensions of chronic pain. Patients undergoing pain rehabilitation demonstrate lasting reductions in pain, improved coping skills, and improved physical and social function. This article reviews the basic principles and current practice of chronic pain rehabilitation, with a guide to the evaluation techniques and therapies employed to aid these most challenging patients.