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Pain program registration
($300 annual fee applies)
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Chronic Pain is sometimes defined as pain that persists for six months following the normal healing time for an injury. Such pain conditions are not at all uncommon following injuries such as back injuries with disc bulging or herniation of the discs. Such injuries are often technically healed, and there may be no objective signs of inflammation, but such injuries can continue to cause continuous pain over periods of years. Research shows that back injuries in particular can "flare up", resulting in muscle spasms, which are objectively verifiable. Although there are theoretical explanations of chronic pain that emphasize "central" mechanisms, suggesting that the brain plays a significant role in chronic pain, most research indicates that there is peripheral nociception (pain coming from the affected area) in many cases of chronic pain. However, there may be changes in the perception of pain over time, as pain may no longer be restricted to an area served by one major spinal nerve. This may be due to changes in the number and type of neural receptors as pain persists, and also due to the long-term effects of opioid-based medication or "pain killers" and other medication. Individuals with chronic pain generally do not understand the medical aspects of their condition and may have unfounded fears of paralysis, for example, which are not being addressed by their attending physicians. A detailed assessment, adequate medical investigation, and clear communication about their condition is often helpful. Further multidisciplinary treatment may be necessary in order to gradually re-activate the person to the extent this is possible. Many people are not able to function in the same way as they did before and must adjust to a new way of life. Such individuals need to pace their activity and learn what specific activities result in episodes of muscle spasm and which activities do not. In some cases, the individuals are able to resume most of the activities they thought were out of reach, because of a new understanding of their condition and how to manage it. Multidisciplinary pain programs are the most appropriate and most effective settings for achieving this new understanding and gradually increasing functional tolerances under the supervison of a team of professionals. These teams often include a psychologist, a physiotherapist, a physician, and an occupational therapist. People are often wary of seeing a psychologist, but there are good reasons for having this type of professional on the team. First, psychologists are experts at behaviour change, and this is what the program hopes to achieve in many cases. Second, there are often depressive problems and anxiety symptoms in cases where pain has persisted over a long period of time. Third, psychologists can help to facilitate communication between the team and the client, as well as between the client and the family, which may be a crucial part of the client's rehabilitation. Fourth, relaxation training and self-hypnosis are often beneficial in cases where medication is no longer an effective or desirable option.
Pain Programs: Chronic pain programs and other health service providers are invited to register for a $300.00 CDN annual fee (unless you have a discount code). Once you have signed up, the zappointments.com online scheduling system will become your main appointment book. You can select your own username, so register now to reserve the username you want. Secure messaging is available for users of the site (instead of email, which has security problems) as well as an invoice creation program and even a personalized web page at no extra cost. Marketing the services will be centralized and handled by zappointments.com. Furthermore, you will benefit from other service providers' clients and referral sources viewing the site and having access to your appointments in real time. If you want to contact zappointments.com for more information, click here to email us!
Questions? Our email address is admin@zappointments.com
Third party providers are now able to book appointments with chronic pain programs for treatment and also for chronic pain assessments. The ability for third party payors to book these appointments is patent-pending and the software that runs this site is protected by copyright. Individuals wishing to book their own appointments can also book appointments via the internet and will receive automatic email confirmation. If you have your claim or reference number, you can even book appointments and have the insurance company or other third party payor automatically notified and authorization for the sessions or assessment will be requested via secure data transfer methods.
The site uses secure encryption methods that make it almost impossible for unauthorized individuals to access information being transfered from zappointments.com's server, so you can book appointments without worrying about whether the information can be observed in transit.
Our current rates are listed here.
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| To log in as a client click here. | |
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| To register as a third party payor click here (free, no obligation). Third party payors can include lawyers, insurance companies, and rehab consultants. Instructions available here. |
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| To register as a client click here (free, no obligation). The client is the person who is treated or assessed by the professional. Instructions available here. | |
| To register as a service provider click here (annual fee). Instructions available here. |