PRESS RELEASE
from the Texas Back Institute

TEXAS BACK INSTITUTE INTRODUCES PROGRAM TO HELP PATIENTS MANAGE CHRONIC PAIN

 PLANO, TEXAS – February 14, 2006 - Texas Back Institute aims to relieve pain and pocketbooks with its new chronic pain management program, Conquer Pain Effectively (CoPE). The four week program is designed to help patients improve physical functioning and reduce pain medication usage by teaching strategies to cope with pain while strengthening emotional stability and sense of emotional well-being. The CoPE program integrates physical exercise and conditioning, pain coping strategies, education, counseling and vocational readiness and referral.

“Using medication to manage chronic pain provides only temporary relief,” said Andrew R. Block, Ph.D., a psychologist and head of the CoPE program at Texas Back Institute. “CoPE offers to teach patients the skills they need to manage their pain without medication in order to return to work and lead a fuller lifestyle.”

Studies show that chronic pain affects nearly 70 million Americans in their daily lives and chronic pain treatment costs an average of $100 billion per year in lost productivity, workdays and Workers’ Compensation.

Patients suffering from pain six months or more are encouraged to inquire about CoPE if they have not positively responded to primary and secondary care, are not surgical candidates and do not have the physical or emotional endurance for work hardening.

Participants entering the program take an initial functional capacity evaluation (FCE), which measures a person’s physical and potential ability to perform work. The medical director, a psychologist or licensed professional counselor and an occupational therapist also perform additional evaluations. Information from the evaluation is then used to establish unique treatment plans and weekly goals for each patient.

“No single health specialist holds the key to relief from chronic pain,” said Richard D. Guyer, M.D., spine surgeon and president of Texas Back Institute. “Our CoPE program takes a multidisciplinary approach to managing chronic pain and the impact it has on patients’ lives.”

Chronic pain not only affects how a person feels physically, but also mentally and emotionally. “Chronic pain diminishes a person’s ability to concentrate, work, exercise, socialize and sleep,” said Block.  “It’s no surprise that depression is a common reaction to chronic pain.”

           Treatments are individually designed to meet the needs identified in the initial evaluations and are adjusted as patients progress through the program. Daily treatments include physical therapy, educational groups, individual psychotherapy and relaxation exercises.

“Several factors determine how a person experiences pain. Pain is a combination of emotions, experience, spirit and sensation. Each person experiences pain differently,” said Block.  “This is what makes our program unique, through the series of treatments and evaluations, we are able to gauge a person’s ability to graduate from the program on a case-by-case basis.”

A final FCE is performed before completion of the program to identify specific limitations that may remain. The CoPE staff also assists patients in finalizing vocational plans.

Texas Back Institute

Texas Back Institute (TBI) is one of the largest freestanding spine specialty clinics in the United States. The Institute, based in Plano, Texas, was established in 1978 and provides comprehensive medical care for individuals with back and neck pain. TBI is a back care leader specializing in spinal arthroplasty minimally invasive spine surgery, spinal deformation and spinal oncology care. As an academic health care organization, TBI has trained hundreds of physicians, scientists and allied health professionals. Its research institution employs state-of-the-art technology and research to treat patients and is involved in the most clinical trials of artificial discs. TBI’s professional staff includes board-certified spine surgeons, general surgeons, internists, chiropractors, physiatrists, pain specialists, exercise physiologists and a team of physical and occupational therapists. Texas Back Institute’s main office is located in Plano, with offices in Denton, Fort Worth, Greenville, Garland, Hurst, Midland, TX and Phoenix, AZ. For more information, visit www.texasback.com.

MEDIA CONTACT
For more information, contact Meredith Falke, (214) 891-7795 meredith_falke@richards.com

Consumer phone number: 1-800-247-BACK