The content of outpatient pain therapy

The discussion is central – common questions are: Which further investigations are required? Which medication should be taken? Where is the pain coming from? What can the patient and the parents do to reduce the pain? The “biopsychosocial model” informs our work in the pain clinic. Accordingly, we place great importance on a multimodal process attuned to the individual which includes somatic, psychological and social aspects, as well as the early, active involvement of the child and his or her family.

Possible components of outpatient therapy are, among other things, a psychological pain consultation, suitable pain medication, if required, TENS, biofeedback, as well as participation in a headache or abdominal pain group, both following the training developed and included in “Stop the Headache” (Denecke and Hünseler 2000; Krӧner-Herwig and Denecke 2002).