Pain Rehabilitation Center in Minnesota

Overview

The Mayo Comprehensive Pain Rehabilitation Center (PRC) was founded in 1974 to provide rehabilitation services to patients with chronic non-cancer pain. The PRC is an internationally recognized program of excellence, with physician referrals, patient referrals, and visiting clinicians and health care teams from around the United States and the world. It was among the first pain rehabilitation programs in the United States and the world and is now one of the largest pain rehabilitation programs in the nation. Approximately 400 patients are admitted annually.

The PRC program is an intensive three-week outpatient rehabilitation program focused on functional restoration. A cognitive-behavioral model is the basis for treatment and incorporates physical reconditioning, biofeedback and relaxation training, stress management, chemical health education, activity moderation, elimination of pain behaviors and cognitive restructuring to decrease pain catastrophizing and pain anxiety.

Goals

The primary goal of the Pain Rehabilitation Center is to restore function and improve the quality of life for people suffering with chronic pain. The program emphasizes the discontinuation of opioid drugs to treat of chronic benign pain and the return to a fulfilling lifestyle.

Other important goals include:

• Return to regular daily activities
• Increase physical strength, stamina and flexibility
• Reduce/eliminate use of pain medications
• Minimize pain behaviors
• Learn stress management techniques
• Return to gainful employment (if applicable)
• Resume leisure and recreational activities
• Improve interpersonal relationships
• Reduce reliance on health care professionals, with improved ability to self-manage chronic pain

The core team of health professionals who care for patients in the PRC include physicians, psychologists, nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, chemical health counselors, biofeedback therapists and pharmacists.

Mayo Clinic's Pain Rehabilitation Center has more than 30 years' experience in helping people with chronic pain return to an active lifestyle. Read more about the PRC's history.