STADS Occupational Therapy · Chronic pain
Chronic pain
When pain lasts for months, something changes. Not just in your body, but also in your day: what you still do, what you leave undone and how much energy is left for the things you enjoy. That last part is what the occupational therapist works on.
or call 040 – 311 1152 / 013 – 303 0362
No referral needed10 hours from basic insuranceAlso at your homeNo waiting list
How pain works
Pain is an alarm, not a measure of damage
Pain is a warning. Your body sends signals to your brain, which weighs up whether there’s danger. Only if the answer is yes do you feel pain. That’s useful: it keeps you off a broken ankle and makes sure you rest an inflamed shoulder.
With short-term pain, that system keeps pace with the damage. The tissue heals, the alarm switches off. If pain lasts longer than three to six months, that link comes loose. The body has often long since healed, while the alarm keeps going off. The system has become more sensitive and reacts to less and less.
That doesn’t mean the pain is all in your head. It’s real and you really feel it. It’s just that, at that point, it says more about how sensitive your alarm is than about new damage in your back, knee or shoulder. And that’s good news, because something can be done about the sensitivity of that system.
Is your pain changing in character, or are you getting new symptoms? Always have that assessed first by your GP or your therapist.
Try it out
Why the same shopping trip works one time and not the next
Two alarm systems, the same day. Slide the load up and see what happens.
Schuif eens naar rechts. Links zie je een alarmsysteem dat in balans is, rechts eentje dat na maanden pijn scherper is gaan staan.
The pattern
Peak and crash
Almost everyone with long-term pain knows this rhythm. On a good day you push on, because you finally want to get something done again. In the days after, everything grinds to a halt. Compare the two lines side by side.
Piek en terugval
Op een goede dag haal je alles in: de was, de tuin, dat ene klusje. De dagen daarna betaal je de rekening en ligt alles stil. Gemiddeld krijg je zo steeds minder gedaan, en je lichaam went aan schommelingen in plaats van aan opbouw.
Occupational therapy is largely about that second line: working out what an average day can handle for you, and building up gradually from there. At first you do less than you’d like. After a few weeks you do more than you ever managed with the first line.
Sound familiar?
Where does your day break down?
Click on what applies to you. You’ll see straight away what we’ll work on in the treatment.
Klik aan wat op jou van toepassing is. Bij elk punt lees je wat de ergotherapeut ermee doet.
What we do
The occupational therapist’s role in pain
The physiotherapist works on your body and on what it can handle. The occupational therapist works on your day: what you do, in what order, with how much energy and with what result. With long-term pain, the two often go hand in hand.
Mapping out your day
Through a conversation, a diary or a home visit, we look at where your energy goes and where things go wrong.
Spreading activities
Not everything on the good day and nothing on the bad one. We look for a pace you can keep up and build up from there.
Doing tasks differently
Sitting instead of standing, spreading things out instead of cramming them in, or simply a different order. Small changes often make more difference than you’d expect.
Aids and adaptations
Only where they really make a difference. We advise on them and handle the application to your local council (gemeente) or insurer.
Work and reintegration
Looking at your workplace with you, redistributing tasks and preparing for the conversation with your employer or occupational health doctor (bedrijfsarts).
Involving the people around you
Partner, children, colleagues: pain that nobody can see needs explaining. We help you find the words.
Together
Often together with the physiotherapist
Long-term pain usually calls for an approach from two sides: movement and load on one side, your day and your energy on the other. Our physiotherapists and occupational therapists work under the same roof and consult each other, so you don’t have to tell your story twice.
Questions
What people often ask us
Does chronic pain mean I have to learn to live with it?
Not in the sense of: nothing more can be done. With long-term pain, becoming completely pain-free isn’t always the goal, but being able to do more with fewer setbacks almost always is. That’s what we focus on.
I already have physiotherapy. Is there any point in occupational therapy as well?
Often, yes. The physiotherapist works on your body and your load capacity, the occupational therapist on how you organise your day. At our practice they work under the same roof and coordinate with each other.
What happens at the first appointment?
We take plenty of time to hear your story: what an ordinary day looks like, what you can no longer manage and what you’d like to be able to do again. Then together we decide where to start.
Do you also come to my home?
Yes. With pain especially, it helps to see what your home and your daily activities really look like. We can also take a look at your workplace.
How many treatments will I need?
That varies from person to person. Many programmes fit within the ten covered hours, spread over a few months.
Do I need a referral from my GP?
No. Occupational therapy is directly accessible, so you can book an appointment yourself.
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Related topics
Questions first?
Rather talk to someone first?
Not sure if we can help, or have a question about your treatment or reimbursement? Feel free to get in touch.
Call the practice
You’ll speak to one of us straight away. We’ll check the diary together there and then.
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