Chronic Pain Rehabilitation - IMPACT Service

What is the IMPACT Service and who can we help?

The IMPACT Service is available to people aged 16 and over with chronic / persistent pain that is causing a significant impact on day to day life. Currently the service is only available to people who are registered with a North Staffordshire GP.

The IMPACT Service is delivered by a team of pain specialists including physiotherapists, clinical psychologists and a consultant in pain medicine. 

What Is Chronic / Persistent Pain?

Chronic / persistent pain is different from short-term / acute pain. Short-term pain can be useful as a warning sign that something is wrong in the body and helps us to protect from injuring ourselves further. This type of pain should go away when the body heals.  When it continues for longer than expected, we call this type of pain 'chronic' or 'persistent'. 

Chronic / persistent pain is not always caused by an injury or illness. Some people find that their symptoms start without any obvious cause and the reasons for this can be complex. Often people with persistent pain become concerned about making it worse, which leads to avoiding important activities. This can lead to life becoming very limited which can affect mood and quality of life.

This short video explains this further:

What Is Pain Rehabilitation?

It is often not possible to 'fix' persistent / chronic pain and the reasons for this are complex. Although this is understandably disappointing, a pain rehabilitation approach aims to reduce the impact that pain has on your mood, work, social activities and family life to improve quality of life.

This can include helping you to:

• Understand more about chronic pain
• Decide which of your current pain management strategies are working / not working
• Explore your current physical activity levels and how to avoid unhelpful activity patterns
• Re-engage in activities that matter most to you
• Cope better with pain during flare-ups
• To notice unhelpful thoughts and feelings that are getting in the way of life

Our pain rehabilitation approach is offered in either a group format or individually. The 8-day pain rehabilitation group programme takes place at our base at the Haywood Hospital. Outpatient clinics are held at Milehouse Primary Care Centre, Newcastle-under-Lyme; Haywood Hospital, Stoke-on-Trent and Leek Moorlands Hospital Outpatient Department, Leek.  

What Will Happen At My First Appointment?

Prior to your appointment you will be sent a set of short questionnaires.  Please complete these and bring them with you to your appointment in addition to an up-to-date prescription if you take regular medicines.  Your assessment will be with either a doctor or a pain specialist physiotherapist.  They will discuss your pain history and the impact that it has on your life. We will agree a plan if required to support you to live better with your pain.