Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, July 5, 1990 TAG: 9007050336
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER RIVER
SOURCE: B.J. SNYDER
DATELINE: RADFORD LENGTH: Long
The center, which is directly across from Radford Community Hospital in a renovated house, aims to help clients regain the fullest level of functioning once chronic pain has disrupted their lives.
Director Mike Davis said that most of the center's clients already have sought help from general practitioners, medical specialists or chiropractors, among others.
However, despite treatment, pain continues to limit their activities.
Davis' center helps people cope with such long-term problems as back injury, neck pain, arthritis, or carpal tunnel syndrome - a repetitive motion injury of the hand.
The focus is on helping the client learn to live with the problem. "Emphasis is on the restoration of function" Davis said.
"We bill ourselves as a pain rehabilitation program and our goal is to get people functioning better, because we know that if people can function better, then they'll start to feel better."
The staff at the center represents many professions.
The center maintains a full-time psychologist, occupational therapist and nurse, as well as a part-time physician, physical therapist, vocational rehabilitation specialist and dietician.
"The best part about the program here is the multidisciplinary service. We address chronic pain from emotional, physical, and mental standpoints.
Davis, who holds a master's degree in psychology from Radford University, said, "The client has to be a part of the process." Treatment, therefore, becomes a team effort.
The client, his doctor, his family, the employer, and the professionals at the center all work together.
The best candidates for treatment at the center are people whose lives are limited by chronic pain disorders.
"It's not only that people have these conditions, but because of these conditions, they are not functioning well" Davis said.
Robert Chrisley of Pulaski County worked as a truck driver and inventory clerk for Radford Community Hospital until a lower-back injury incapacitated him.
The injury made returning to his former position impossible, and even performing simple daily activities became difficult.
"I wasn't functioning very well," Chrisley said. "I couldn't bend over. There were limitations on my movement, twisting and bending. Sometimes I even had to have help getting out of bed."
Chrisley tried other treatments before coming to the center, including spinal injections, for temporary relief. Chrisley said that treatment was more painful than the pain itself.
Chrisley rejected surgery, as well.
At the center, Chrisley completed two of the main programs: day treatment and work hardening, a structured, gradual program to help pain sufferers return to work.
The day treatment included pool and walking exercises, occupational therapy, physical therapy and group sessions on pain management, vocational rehabilitation, and nutrition.
Chrisley also completed four weeks in the center's work-hardening program.
The center's occupational therapist obtains the client's job description and then simulates the work experience at the center.
Davis said that companies are generally willing to assist in this process because it is in their best interest to try to retain their employee.
Since Chrisley worked at Radford Community Hospital, which is affiliated with the center, he found his employer willing to work with the center in his rehabilitation.
Jennifer Warfield is the occupational therapist in charge of the center's work-hardening program, and she worked with Chrisley in his rehabilitation.
Warfield also instructs everyone in body mechanics: how to correctly sit, lift, and perform other physical activities without aggravating their pain.
Of his present functional level, Chrisley said, "I do better now. I can last longer, but sitting is still difficult. The pain is still there. I have good days and bad days, but I think I'm functioning better. . . . "
"The group sessions helped me with seeing I'm not the only one in the world with these problems. I also liked that the staff always works within your limitations," he said.
Chrisley offers the following advice for potential clients of the center:
"You need to come in with a positive attitude, not expecting a miracle cure because there isn't one. You should expect to work hard at improving your stamina. If you come in with the attitude that it won't help, but you're going to do it anyway, you won't get better," he said.
The Center for Behavior Medicine is a private, non-profit Virginia corporation, jointly owned and operated by Saint Albans Psychiatric Hospital and Radford Community Hospital. The center has been operating since 1988.
The Center for Behavioral Medicine serves the entire region, including the New River Valley, Southwestern Virginia, and Roanoke.
The center has also treated clients from as far away as West Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee.
The center is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities CARF.
The center prefers to receive new clients through a professional referral. This allows them to avoid receiving clients who are still in need of medical attention.
The center has enjoyed a steady business since its creation, and there is about a three-week waiting period.
The Center for Behavioral Medicine's Pain Rehabilitation Program is at 707 Randolph St. Radford, Va. 24141. Call (703) 639-0498.
by CNB