Copyright 2020 Dr. Evan Parks
Chronic Pain Rehabilitaiton
Disclaimer
This book is not intended as a substitute for the medical advice of physicians. The medical and health information is provided for general informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice. The reader should regularly consult a physician in matters relating to his/her health and particularly with respect to any symptoms that may require diagnosis or medical attention.
Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the authors imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Although the author and publisher have made every effort to ensure that the information in this book was correct at press time, the author and publisher do not assume and hereby disclaim any liability to any party for any loss, damage, or disruption caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause.
Published by Wandering Words Media
ISBN: 978-1-951029-13-5
FREE BONUS GIFT
As a show of appreciation to my readers for purchasing this book, I am giving away a FREE ebook.
The Sleep Solution For Chronic Pain
Youll discover new insights and strategies about sleeping well:
Why your efforts to sleep often do not work or can make things worse
How to manage the seven key areas of sleep management
Clear, easy to follow steps that you can start working on now
To receive the free resource The Sleep Solution for Chronic Pain , go directly to www.PainRehabSource.com and subscribe to the newsletter. You will also receive a second free ebook, Know Your Pain: Learn your type of pain and its cause .
Reviews
This book is an excellent resource for chronic pain patients. The book educates patients about pain in ways that are simple to understand, and then offers a large number of practical suggestions for individuals with pain. Most pain patients are unaware of the large number of things they can do themselves to better manage their pain and as such become overly reliant on doctors and healthcare systems. But our healthcare systems often make individuals with chronic pain worse rather than better, by offering excessive diagnostic testing, unhelpful surgery or injections, or potentially harmful drugs.
Daniel Clauw, MD, Professor of Anesthesiology, Medicine, and Psychiatry and the Director of the Chronic Pain and Fatigue Research Center at The University of Michigan
As a primary care physician responsible for a very large patient panel, I was often overwhelmed when confronted with patients who were struggling with chronic pain. My resources were usually limited to an order for labs or imaging, a referral form, and my trusty prescription pad. Reading Dr. Parks insights about an alternative way to view chronic pain has been eye-opening and provides a more optimistic approach in understanding and helping empower my patients. With information about the neuroscience of chronic pain and the adaptation of a more mind-body approach, I have realized that much of my previous treatment may not have been as beneficial as intended. This book should be mandatory reading for all medical students.
Lyn Hulst, MD , Staff Physician, Mary Free Bed Pain Rehabilitation Center
If you are on the roller coaster of medical treatments without relief, you need to hear what Dr. Parks has to say. If you are fed up and frustrated with pain and don't like the life you are living, you need to hear what Dr. Parks has to say. It will not be easy. You will need to reconsider much of what you believe to be true, but the payoff will be well worth it.
Mike Terrell, PT, MSPT, Cert. MDT , Certified Therapeutic Pain Specialist
I highly recommend this book. It's written in plain language that all of us can understand. Read it and you will learn that you can think of pain as a resource, a mislabeled physiological process, or just an event, its your choice. You will also begin to see that you already have competence in dealing with pain.
Kevin Polk, Ph.D. , Creator of The ACT Matrix
Finally, a book that gives real hope to pain sufferers and their physicians. This book should change the paradigm for pain treatment. Patients who read it should immediately give a copy to their physician or find a physician with a similar perspective. Physicians who read it will have the rationale and tools for pursuing a better treatment path. The book is full of ideas for both patients and healthcare professionals to work together to relieve suffering.
Charles Dolph, Ph.D., Senior Professor of Psychology at Cedarville University
This book provides a clear understanding of the causes of pain and what happens in the brain that produces the sensation of pain. Dr. Parks provides those with chronic pain new hope through understanding and skill-building to take back their lives that have often been derailed by chronic pain and the traditional medical treatments of chronic pain. While the book is aimed at those with chronic pain, it would be hugely beneficial for medical and mental health professionals who provide treatment to the large population who struggle with chronic pain issues.
Marcia K. Wiinamaki, PsyD, Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Dr. Parks lays out what is so important for persons with chronic pain to understand as they work toward re-engaging in purposeful activity. With goals of participating once again in activities at home, work, and leisure, building on smaller successes can lead to greater confidence. It is essential to understand how one's own thoughts, both positive and negative, can impact the recovery of function and level of pain. Clinically, when our treatment team sees patients apply the strategies Dr. Parks describes, we see patients improve their functioning and report less pain. The changes that occur are noticed by family members and friends as well.
Mark DeKraker, MS, OTR/L
This dynamic book provides key insights to help a chronic pain patient move from despair to discovery. Dr. Parks sets the reader on a path of transformation. Learning the real story behind chronic pain frees you to redirect your energies toward reclaiming your life.
Lori Caldwell Ritsema PA-C , Center for Adolescent and Child Neurology
Contents
UNDERSTAND PAIN
CALM THE NERVOUS SYSTEM
DEVELOP EMOTIONAL FLEXIBILITY
RESOURCES
For Carrie, my loving companion
on the journey through life
Acknowledgments
The story of this books inception begins with the chronic pain patients I see every day. The courage, dedication, and hope that they display, often in the face of challenging life circumstances, is a constant source of inspiration for me. Their stories of strugglealong with the amazing, transformative changes that take place when they approach their pain differentlyhave shaped my knowledge of the brains neuromatrix map.
However, for all the chronic patients that I have been able to meet and help, there are thousands more who will never receive the kind of medical care that they need and deserve. Perhaps the isolation of a rural community prevents access to care, or maybe all the hours of the day are spent working two jobs and raising children, leaving no time to care for themselves.
