My Experience at Mayo Clinic's PRC Program
I recently went through a three-week program at Mayo’s Pain Rehabilitation Clinic, and this was my experience.
Backstory
Years ago, I began experiencing low back and hip pain with no indication of where it came from. It grew from annoying to often debilitating, so I jumped on the pain treatment merry-go-round. I did the traditional medicine journey (tests, medications, injections, dr. visits), as well as the alternative medicine track (chiro, massage, acupuncture, physical therapy, diets, supplements, books, yoga). All of these made some improvement, but they didn’t provide the relief that I needed.
During all of this, I began to have mental and emotional issues on top of the physical symptoms. The one-two punch of mental AND physical pain completely took the wind out of my sails. I lost my drive to succeed, my trust in healthcare, and my ability to see the joie de vivre that makes life worth living.
My final pain “management” (a phrase that means you’ll be tethered to doctors in order to cope with pain for the rest of your life) involved back injections that were unsuccessful at moving the needle on my pain scale. I was done with all of it. But I recalled hearing from clients about their amazing experiences at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville. I decided it was worth a shot (ba-dum-tss).
First Visit
My first visit was with Mayo’s Spine Care. There I was, face to face with a doctor who was in no hurry to get me out of his office, and who was clearly invested in understanding my experience with the pain. I finally felt heard…and I cried right in front of this poor man who just met me for the first time. He found no physical issue causing my pain. BUT he knew that Mayo’s Pain Rehabilitation Clinic had a program that could help. He reassured me that I would find relief there. What was that I was feeling? Oh, right. Hope. This was already worth the drive.
Mayo PRC
My first day at Mayo PRC was dedicated to a full day of orientation. My amazing nurse did her best to prep me for the journey. I took surveys about where I was physically and emotionally. I watched videos and read materials. I was given a stack of books and assigned a locker. I was told that this would help me as long as I was willing to put in the work. The next day I reported for duty.
The Group
The group I was assigned had 7 members, and I would see this group change and grow during my stay. Each day someone was graduating and a new person was beginning. The content in the program is on rotation - no one has the same information as anyone else, but everyone eventually gets all of the info. I liked this concept. It was one of the things that I think helped promote comradery in the group. People were so willing to help me understand where I was or needed to be. And they already knew what I was going through, which was immeasurable.
Daily Life
The days were structured; after months of letting life and pain dictate my days, structure was something I was desperate for. First thing was checking in on my experience the day before - mood, pain behaviors, energy. Then a rotation of stretches, physical therapy, occupational therapy, nutrition, mindfulness, and lectures from doctors on the concepts at the core of the program - central sensitization syndrome and cognitive behavioral therapy.
Philosophy
The really abbreviated concept behind this program is unlearning old behaviors related to pain, and learning new behaviors that will reinforce changes in the brain’s perception of pain. That’s the really dumbed-down version, but you can dig deeper here. In looking closely at these concepts, my big takeaways were these:
The brain lies. All the time. And I can make better decisions about what it’s telling me as long as I remember that.
Hurt does not equal harm. This is so important to acknowledge, and is repeated ad nauseum throughout the program. I continue to repeat it to myself to this day.
Pushing and crashing is NOT a solution. It only causes more problems.
The nervous system can only handle so much. Don’t overstimulate. Take scheduled breaks. And have grace.
I am human. I am not a superhero. I generally have the same problems as a lot of people. I am not alone. This one seems easy, but it’s really not.
Don’t panic. Don’t quit.
Beyond these anecdotes I absorbed a ton of information about the nervous system and the psychology of pain. I scrawled every bit down, even when it was repeated on other days. And it all makes so much sense that I wonder why this is new to me, especially given the field I’m in. While I won’t share all those details here (it would take WEEKS), I plan to educate my team on some of these concepts so they can improve their approach to our clients’ pain.
Bringing It Home
After finishing my three weeks, I noticed significant change in how I felt. It’s not that the pain was gone, but that it didn’t occupy my focus. I felt capable.
I was given a ton of info on how to stick with everything I learned. Access to materials, equipment, aftercare sessions, and support systems instilled even more confidence in me that I can do this. I can keep it up. And even if I can’t, I have resources to help me get back there.
If you suffer from chronic symptoms that are taking a huge toll on your life, I would recommend exploring Mayo’s Pain Rehab Clinic as an option!