*3.1.3 Treatment Planning*

*Pain Management - Practices, Novel Therapies and Bioactives*

**3.1 Psychological focus in clinical pain assessment**

required should be characterized by the following;

*3.1.2 Full history of the pain must be taken*

c. Severity of the pain from the beginning

*as chronic pain*

remitting.

severe pain

day, week, or month.

assess client's activity level

pain self-efficacy

management)

m. Anxiety disorder

n. Sleep disorder

o. Depression

Assessment of chronic pain condition for which psychological intervention is

b. Duration; how long does the pain last at each episode – chronic, intermittent or

d. Which joint(s) of the body does the pain sensation occur and how often in a

e. What triggers the pain sensation and what makes it better or brings relief

f. Use visual analogue scale to rate severity of pain experience at initial clinical assessment. An example is using a scale of 0–10, with zero as no pain and ten as

g. Client's beliefs and thoughts about the pain; is pain seen as unacceptable, a punishment or beyond their control. This relates to pain catastrophizing.

h. Client's feelings about and perception of the pain and the circumstances

i. Client's lifestyle and coping strategies being used to cope with the pain; also

j. Client's belief about their ability to control the pain experience. This relates to

l. Addiction to drugs (including misuse or abuse of prescription drugs for pain

There are also evidence-based pain assessment instruments developed to measure various pain related concern like coping and self-efficacy. Some commonly used ones are pain self-efficacy questionnaire, coping strategies questionnaire, brief COPE inventory, and chronic pain coping inventory. The scale a therapist

k. Social context and stress level of patient suffering arthritis pain

surrounding it. This relates to pain locus of control

*3.1.1 Pain sensation must have been on for at least six months and more to qualify* 

a. Circumstances surrounding the pain; where and when it occurs

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This will involve clinical decision about required or further investigation to help decide the nature of pain as well as the treatment protocol of choice. Assessment of personality variables, lifestyle, thinking pattern and social network are also important. And the results of biomedical investigations like laboratory, radiological and physical examinations should also be considered. Though arthritis pain is the general concern, psychotherapy should be tailored to suit the personal needs and circumstances of each arthritis patient. Patients, therefore, work with therapists in a collaborative manner during assessment and treatment planning stages, to design the best interventions possible to achieve their treatment goals in the shortest time possible or help them function better with minimal pain and psychological distress.
